How much do Berlin founders pay themselves?
The question of founder compensation is often a mystery. Unfortunately, the granular data for Berlin is not available, but thanks to data from Creandum’s Founder Compensation Calculator, we now at least have some data on founder salaries in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Based on the data, a “poor” founder is a definitely a myth, at least for funded companies.
Unfortunately, the data is not available for Berlin only, so I prepared a quick overview on the overall numbers. You can analyze the data in Creandum’s calculator, but be aware that sample size can really get tiny.
The numbers for 2024
Based on 245 responses from DACH founders in 2024, the average founder salary was €122,300. However, this number varies significantly depending on the startup’s funding stage:
- Bootstrapped founders: €95,000
- Pre-seed stage: €78,700
- Seed stage: €98,500
- Series A: €130,600
- Series B: €168,200
- Series C+: €205,800
Data from 2022-2024
- 2022: Average salary of €84,600 (from 161 responses)
- 2023: Average salary of €81,800 (from 131 responses)
- 2024: Average salary of €122,300 (from 245 responses)
The data sample is pretty small but reveals some trends. First, there’s been a significant jump in average salaries from 2022 to 2024, with a 45% increase from €84.6k to €122.3k (a pity that we don’t have the median data).
Bootstrapped founders have nearly doubled their salaries during this period, from €47.9k to €95k, suggesting more sustainable business models in early-stage startups or simply “failing” to raise, which could be a blessing in disguise.
Also interesting is that in 2024, bootstrapped founders are paying themselves more than those at the pre-seed stage (€95k vs €78.7k). Does this mean that self-funded companies are becoming more profitable and sustainable from the start?
I suggest you dig a bit deeper in the calculator by yourself. For a more specific Berlin salary overview, check our salary trends data.
Who is Creandum?
Creandum is one of the leading European early-stage venture capital firms with offices in Stockholm, Berlin, London, and San Francisco. Founded in 2003, the firm has invested in approximately 150 companies and manages around $2 billion in assets.
It has backed Spotify, Klarna, and Trade Republic, and focuses on seed and Series A investments across sectors including SaaS, fintech, and climate tech.
Source: Data from Creandum’s Founder Compensation Calculator, featured in Handpicked Berlin Newsletter #133. The calculator launched in 2022 and includes responses from more than 1,700 founders across Europe and European founders in the US.
