That offer sounds fair to me. If they don't have funding, then where's the cash coming from? If it's coming from the other founders then they deserve to own mor

That offer sounds fair to me. If they don't have funding, then where's the cash coming from? If it's coming from the other founders then they deserve to own more of the company. Joining an early stage company isn't about getting paid market wages. It's about job satisfaction (assuming you like having responsibility, working hard, and don't mind chaos). There's a lot of people who think that the only people who get rich in a startup are the founders and investors. I believe that. If you do the math on a good exit, let's say $100M after six years including earn-out and dilution from A&B rounds, then your very-good-case scenario is a personal payout of $300k after taxes. If you think this company has a 1/10 chance of a good exit, then your average benefit from these options is $30k (spread over six years!!!). Looking at it that way, I can't see why anyone would work at a startup for any reason other than it seems like a lot of fun. I loved the two startups I worked for but the benefits were getting responsibility nobody else would give me, excitement, and seeing how companies are started. I guess that's not a very direct answer to your question. Here's my direct answer, ask for 2%. But don't make your decision based on whether they say yes--make it based on whether you're excited for the company and team.