Generalization: Entrepreneurs, as a group, come out worse than VC's, as a group, on these types of negotiations. The CEO/Founder is taking a much larger risk,

Generalization: Entrepreneurs, as a group, come out worse than VC's, as a group, on these types of negotiations. The CEO/Founder is taking a much larger risk, and is much more committed (deeply invested), than the VC's that fund them because the VC's spread their risk across multiple companies. It's a shame that an argument as thin as "taking less salary shows commitment" when the investors are not similarly committed (their salaries remain fat as ever, regardless of their performance). People can get more money, but they can't get more time. And the CEO/Founder generally devotes 3 to 7 years of previous time. The equity upside is not a valid justification for below market wages because investors get that without sacrificing theirs. There needs to be some symmetry in the commitment between CEO's and investors. $180K/yr for a first-round company ratcheting up with each subsequent round. If you're not raising enough to afford that, then you're not raising enough. Consider delaying the round to create more value if VC's are taking too big a piece of the pie.