If you're searching for founder equity cohort benchmarking vs peers, you're trying to solve a real problem, not collect definitions. This guide walks through it step by step, the way we'd explain it to a founder sitting across the table.
Quick Answer
Founder equity cohort benchmarking vs peers comes down to your specific numbers, not a generic rule of thumb — the fastest way to get a real answer is to model it against your actual cap table instead of a spreadsheet estimate.
- Start from your real numbers, not an industry average
- Revisit this every time you issue new equity or close a round
- Use a live cap table so the math updates automatically
Is My Equity Split Fair?
Is My Equity Split Fair?. Here's what that covers: you own 40%, co-founder owns 40%, advisor owns 20%, question: is this fair? normal? generous?, and how it plays out in practice. This is where equity split actually shows up on your cap table.
You own 40%, co-founder owns 40%, advisor owns 20%
You own 40%, co-founder owns 40%, advisor owns 20%. This is the step most founders underestimate — worth getting right before it turns into a bigger cleanup job later.
Question: Is this fair? Normal? Generous?
Question: Is this fair? Normal? Generous? It sounds minor until it isn't, usually right when an investor or new hire is looking at the numbers.
Comparison point: Carta publishes aggregate
Comparison point: Carta publishes aggregate. — specifically, not individual. Founders have no way to know if their equity split is fair (vs peers).
Gap: No way to benchmark your specific split
Gap: No way to benchmark your specific split. This is exactly the kind of detail that's easy to skip and expensive to fix retroactively.
Lovie Peer Benchmarking
Lovie Peer Benchmarking. Here's what that covers: compare your cap table to founders at similar stage, filter by: stage, industry, geography, team size, and how it plays out in practice. This is where benchmark actually shows up on your cap table.
Compare your cap table to founders at similar stage
Compare your cap table to founders at similar stage. Get this wrong early and it compounds quietly until your next round forces the issue.
Filter by: Stage, industry, geography, team size
Filter by: Stage, industry, geography, team size. This is exactly the kind of detail that's easy to skip and expensive to fix retroactively.
See: Distribution of founder equity vs peers
See: Distribution of founder equity vs peers. Most spreadsheet-based cap tables miss this until someone asks a question they can't answer on the spot. Lovie democratizes data: 'Compare your cap table to 1,000+ founders like you (anonymously).' Empowers fairness conversations.
Anonymized: No one knows who you are
Anonymized: No one knows who you are. This is the step most founders underestimate — worth getting right before it turns into a bigger cleanup job later.
Actionable: "You're at 25th percentile, 75th percentile is X%"
Actionable: "You're at 25th percentile, 75th percentile is X%". It sounds minor until it isn't, usually right when an investor or new hire is looking at the numbers.
Benchmarking Metrics
Benchmarking Metrics. Here's what that covers: founder equity: your % vs similar founders, option pool: is 15% typical for your stage?, and how it plays out in practice.
Founder equity: Your % vs similar founders
Founder equity: Your % vs similar founders. Most spreadsheet-based cap tables miss this until someone asks a question they can't answer on the spot.
Option pool: Is 15% typical for your stage?
Option pool: Is 15% typical for your stage? This is the step most founders underestimate — worth getting right before it turns into a bigger cleanup job later.
Employee equity: Average grant for engineers at your stage?
Employee equity: Average grant for engineers at your stage? It sounds minor until it isn't, usually right when an investor or new hire is looking at the numbers.
Advisor equity: Are you giving too much to advisors?
Advisor equity: Are you giving too much to advisors? Get this wrong early and it compounds quietly until your next round forces the issue.
Investor dilution: Did your Series A follow norms?
Investor dilution: Did your Series A follow norms? This is exactly the kind of detail that's easy to skip and expensive to fix retroactively.
Real Scenario
Real Scenario. Here's what that covers: co-founder conflict: "i should own more than 33%", data: lovie benchmarking shows:, and how it plays out in practice.
Co-founder conflict: "I should own more than 33%"
Co-founder conflict: "I should own more than 33%". It sounds minor until it isn't, usually right when an investor or new hire is looking at the numbers.
Data: Lovie benchmarking shows:
Data: Lovie benchmarking shows:. Get this wrong early and it compounds quietly until your next round forces the issue.
Result: Data resolves dispute
Result: Data resolves dispute. — often 50/50 is normal.
- 2-person founding teams: 50/50 is 60% of cases
- 50/50 is median (fair split)
- 60/40 is 25th percentile (slightly unequal, negotiated)
- 70/30 is <10% (heavily weighted toward one)
Employee Benchmarking
Employee Benchmarking. Here's what that covers: first hire equity: you offered 1%, is that fair?, benchmarking: series a first hires get 0.5-2%, and how it plays out in practice.
First hire equity: You offered 1%, is that fair?
First hire equity: You offered 1%, is that fair? This is exactly the kind of detail that's easy to skip and expensive to fix retroactively.
Benchmarking: Series A first hires get 0.5-2%
Benchmarking: Series A first hires get 0.5-2%. — specifically, your offer is middle.
Comparison: Other Series A companies like yours offer 0.75% average
Comparison: Other Series A companies like yours offer 0.75% average. This is the step most founders underestimate — worth getting right before it turns into a bigger cleanup job later.
Decision: 1% is slightly generous
Decision: 1% is slightly generous. — specifically, good for retention.
Cohort Comparison
Cohort Comparison. Here's what that covers: your cohort: series a software companies, 10 employees, us-based, benchmarks available: 150+ companies at same stage, and how it plays out in practice.
Your cohort: Series A software companies, 10 employees, US-based
Your cohort: Series A software companies, 10 employees, US-based. This is the step most founders underestimate — worth getting right before it turns into a bigger cleanup job later.
Benchmarks available: 150+ companies at same stage
Benchmarks available: 150+ companies at same stage. It sounds minor until it isn't, usually right when an investor or new hire is looking at the numbers.
Founder equity: You own 30%, median is 35%
Founder equity: You own 30%, median is 35%. — specifically, slightly diluted.
Option pool: You allocated 10%, median is 12%
Option pool: You allocated 10%, median is 12%. — specifically, conservative.
Investor dilution: You went from 60% to 40%
Investor dilution: You went from 60% to 40%. — specifically, aggressive.
Privacy & Anonymization
Privacy & Anonymization. Here's what that covers: your data: shared anonymously, opt-in: you control what gets shared, and how it plays out in practice.
Your data: Shared anonymously
Your data: Shared anonymously. — specifically, lovie never reveals identities.
Opt-in: You control what gets shared
Opt-in: You control what gets shared. This is exactly the kind of detail that's easy to skip and expensive to fix retroactively.
Benefit: Access to 1,000+ peer cap tables
Benefit: Access to 1,000+ peer cap tables. Most spreadsheet-based cap tables miss this until someone asks a question they can't answer on the spot.
Trust: Encrypted, audited, secure
Trust: Encrypted, audited, secure. This is the step most founders underestimate — worth getting right before it turns into a bigger cleanup job later.
Fairness Scoring
Fairness Scoring. Here's what that covers: algorithm scores your cap table for fairness, factors: founder equity, employee equity, advisor equity, and how it plays out in practice.
Algorithm scores your cap table for fairness
Algorithm scores your cap table for fairness. Most spreadsheet-based cap tables miss this until someone asks a question they can't answer on the spot.
Factors: Founder equity, employee equity, advisor equity
Factors: Founder equity, employee equity, advisor equity. This is the step most founders underestimate — worth getting right before it turns into a bigger cleanup job later.
Output: Fairness score 0-100
Output: Fairness score 0-100. It sounds minor until it isn't, usually right when an investor or new hire is looking at the numbers.
Interpretation: 75+ = fair, 50-75 = medium, <50 = questionable
Interpretation: 75+ = fair, 50-75 = medium, <50 = questionable. Get this wrong early and it compounds quietly until your next round forces the issue.
Lovie Peer Benchmarking Use Cases
Lovie Peer Benchmarking Use Cases. Here's what that covers: settling founder disputes, evaluating offer for new hire, and how it plays out in practice.
Settling founder disputes
Settling founder disputes. — specifically, data-driven.
Evaluating offer for new hire
Evaluating offer for new hire. Is 1% enough?
Assessing your Series A terms
Assessing your Series A terms. Did we get diluted too much?
Building culture
Building culture. — specifically, equity fairness = team trust.
Competitor Gap
Competitor Gap. Here's what that covers: carta: publishes aggregate benchmarks, pulley: no peer benchmarking, and how it plays out in practice.
Carta: Publishes aggregate benchmarks
Carta: Publishes aggregate benchmarks. — specifically, not individual comparison.
Pulley: No peer benchmarking
Pulley: No peer benchmarking. Most spreadsheet-based cap tables miss this until someone asks a question they can't answer on the spot.
Lovie: Anonymous peer cohort comparison + fairness scoring + dispute resolution
Lovie: Anonymous peer cohort comparison + fairness scoring + dispute resolution. This is the step most founders underestimate — worth getting right before it turns into a bigger cleanup job later.
None of this has to live in a spreadsheet you're afraid to open. For more on founder equity cohort benchmarking vs peers, Lovie Cap Table is built to handle it alongside formation, funding, and equity tracking — not as three separate tools.
