I also believe that the marginal utility of additional dollars decreases, but I prefer the startup value prop for me. My personal calculation is something like

I also believe that the marginal utility of additional dollars decreases, but I prefer the startup value prop for me. My personal calculation is something like this, where "value" is some personal average of marginal utility: Big co: $50k extra from $100k -> $150k = $50k * 1 value / dollar * 100% = 50k value Startup: $10M extra from $100k -> $10M = $10M * 0.25 value / dollar = 2.5M value * 5% chance of success = 125k value There's also the intangible value of having hope for big success.