{"slug":"team-composition-analysis","title":"team-composition-analysis","summary":"Design optimal team structures, hiring plans, compensation strategies, and equity allocation for early-stage startups from pre-seed through Series A.","platform":"ChatGPT","tags":[],"authorName":"LLM Mart","authorSlug":"llm-mart","score":0,"source":"github","price":null,"verified":false,"createdAt":"2026-08-16T13:39:01.673828Z","repo":{"url":"https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills","stars":46883,"forks":6831,"license":"MIT","updatedAt":"2026-09-25T05:43:16Z"},"bodyHtml":"<hr>\n<h2>name: team-composition-analysis\ndescription: \"Design optimal team structures, hiring plans, compensation strategies, and equity allocation for early-stage startups from pre-seed through Series A.\"\nrisk: none\nsource: community\ndate_added: '2026-02-27'</h2>\n<h1>Team Composition Analysis</h1>\n<p>Design optimal team structures, hiring plans, compensation strategies, and equity allocation for early-stage startups from pre-seed through Series A.</p>\n<h2>Use this skill when</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Working on team composition analysis tasks or workflows</li>\n<li>Needing guidance, best practices, or checklists for team composition analysis</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Do not use this skill when</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The task is unrelated to team composition analysis</li>\n<li>You need a different domain or tool outside this scope</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Instructions</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.</li>\n<li>Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.</li>\n<li>Provide actionable steps and verification.</li>\n<li>If detailed examples are required, open <code>resources/implementation-playbook.md</code>.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Overview</h2>\n<p>Build the right team at the right time with appropriate compensation and equity. Plan role-by-role hiring aligned with revenue milestones, budget constraints, and market benchmarks.</p>\n<h2>Team Structure by Stage</h2>\n<h3>Pre-Seed (0-$500K ARR)</h3>\n<p><strong>Team Size: 2-5 people</strong></p>\n<p><strong>Core Roles:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Founders (2-3): Product, engineering, business</li>\n<li>First engineer (if needed)</li>\n<li>Contract roles: Design, marketing</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Focus:</strong> Build and validate product-market fit</p>\n<h3>Seed ($500K-$2M ARR)</h3>\n<p><strong>Team Size: 5-15 people</strong></p>\n<p><strong>Key Hires:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Engineering lead + 2-3 engineers</li>\n<li>First sales/business development</li>\n<li>Product manager</li>\n<li>Marketing/growth lead</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Focus:</strong> Scale product and prove repeatable sales</p>\n<h3>Series A ($2M-$10M ARR)</h3>\n<p><strong>Team Size: 15-50 people</strong></p>\n<p><strong>Department Build-Out:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Engineering (40%): 6-20 people</li>\n<li>Sales &amp; Marketing (30%): 5-15 people</li>\n<li>Customer Success (10%): 2-5 people</li>\n<li>G&amp;A (10%): 2-5 people</li>\n<li>Product (10%): 2-5 people</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Focus:</strong> Scale revenue and build repeatable processes</p>\n<h2>Role-by-Role Planning</h2>\n<h3>Engineering Team</h3>\n<p><strong>Pre-Seed:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Founders write code</li>\n<li>0-1 contract developers</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Seed:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Engineering Lead (first $150K-$180K)</li>\n<li>2-3 Full-Stack Engineers ($120K-$150K)</li>\n<li>1 Frontend or Backend Specialist ($130K-$160K)</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Series A:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>VP Engineering ($180K-$250K + equity)</li>\n<li>2-3 Senior Engineers ($150K-$180K)</li>\n<li>3-5 Mid-Level Engineers ($120K-$150K)</li>\n<li>1-2 Junior Engineers ($90K-$120K)</li>\n<li>1 DevOps/Infrastructure ($140K-$170K)</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Sales &amp; Marketing</h3>\n<p><strong>Pre-Seed:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Founders do sales</li>\n<li>Contract marketing help</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Seed:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>First Sales Hire / Head of Sales ($120K-$150K + commission)</li>\n<li>Marketing/Growth Lead ($100K-$140K)</li>\n<li>SDR or BDR (if B2B) ($50K-$70K + commission)</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Series A:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>VP Sales ($150K-$200K + commission + equity)</li>\n<li>3-5 Account Executives ($80K-$120K + commission)</li>\n<li>2-3 SDRs/BDRs ($50K-$70K + commission)</li>\n<li>Marketing Manager ($90K-$130K)</li>\n<li>Content/Demand Gen ($70K-$100K)</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Product Team</h3>\n<p><strong>Pre-Seed:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Founder as product lead</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Seed:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>First Product Manager ($120K-$150K)</li>\n<li>Contract designer</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Series A:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Head of Product ($150K-$180K)</li>\n<li>1-2 Product Managers ($120K-$150K)</li>\n<li>Product Designer ($100K-$140K)</li>\n<li>UX Researcher (optional) ($90K-$130K)</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Customer Success</h3>\n<p><strong>Pre-Seed:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Founders handle support</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Seed:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>First CS hire (optional) ($60K-$90K)</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Series A:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>CS Manager ($100K-$130K)</li>\n<li>2-4 CS Representatives ($60K-$90K)</li>\n<li>Support Engineer (technical) ($80K-$120K)</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>G&amp;A (General &amp; Administrative)</h3>\n<p><strong>Pre-Seed:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Contractors (accounting, legal)</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Seed:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Operations/Office Manager ($70K-$100K)</li>\n<li>Contract CFO</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Series A:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>CFO or Finance Lead ($150K-$200K)</li>\n<li>Recruiter ($80K-$120K)</li>\n<li>Office Manager / EA ($60K-$90K)</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Compensation Strategy</h2>\n<h3>Base Salary Benchmarks (US, 2024)</h3>\n<p><strong>Engineering:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Junior: $90K-$120K</li>\n<li>Mid-Level: $120K-$150K</li>\n<li>Senior: $150K-$180K</li>\n<li>Staff/Principal: $180K-$220K</li>\n<li>Engineering Manager: $160K-$200K</li>\n<li>VP Engineering: $180K-$250K</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Sales:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>SDR/BDR: $50K-$70K base + $50K-$70K commission</li>\n<li>Account Executive: $80K-$120K base + $80K-$120K commission</li>\n<li>Sales Manager: $120K-$160K base + $80K-$120K commission</li>\n<li>VP Sales: $150K-$200K base + $150K-$200K commission</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Product:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Product Manager: $120K-$150K</li>\n<li>Senior PM: $150K-$180K</li>\n<li>Head of Product: $150K-$180K</li>\n<li>VP Product: $180K-$220K</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Marketing:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Marketing Manager: $90K-$130K</li>\n<li>Content/Demand Gen: $70K-$100K</li>\n<li>Head of Marketing: $130K-$170K</li>\n<li>VP Marketing: $150K-$200K</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Customer Success:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>CS Representative: $60K-$90K</li>\n<li>CS Manager: $100K-$130K</li>\n<li>VP Customer Success: $140K-$180K</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Total Compensation Formula</h3>\n<pre><code>Total Comp = Base Salary × 1.30 (benefits &amp; taxes) + Equity Value\n</code></pre>\n<p><strong>Fully-Loaded Cost:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Base salary</li>\n<li>Payroll taxes (7.65% FICA)</li>\n<li>Benefits (health insurance, 401k): $10K-$15K per employee</li>\n<li>Other (workspace, equipment, software): $5K-$10K per employee</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Rule of Thumb:</strong> Multiply base salary by 1.3-1.4 for fully-loaded cost</p>\n<h3>Geographic Adjustments</h3>\n<p><strong>San Francisco / New York:</strong> +20-30% above benchmarks\n<strong>Seattle / Boston / Los Angeles:</strong> +10-20%\n<strong>Austin / Denver / Chicago:</strong> +0-10%\n<strong>Remote / Other US Cities:</strong> -10-20%\n<strong>International:</strong> Varies widely by country</p>\n<h2>Equity Allocation</h2>\n<h3>Equity by Role and Stage</h3>\n<p><strong>Founders:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>First founder: 40-60%</li>\n<li>Second founder: 20-40%</li>\n<li>Third founder: 10-20%</li>\n<li>Vesting: 4 years with 1-year cliff</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Early Employees (Pre-Seed):</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>First engineer: 0.5-2.0%</li>\n<li>First 5 employees: 0.25-1.0% each</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Seed Stage Hires:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>VP/Head level: 0.5-1.5%</li>\n<li>Senior IC: 0.1-0.5%</li>\n<li>Mid-level: 0.05-0.25%</li>\n<li>Junior: 0.01-0.1%</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Series A Hires:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>C-level (CTO, CFO): 1.0-3.0%</li>\n<li>VP level: 0.3-1.0%</li>\n<li>Director level: 0.1-0.5%</li>\n<li>Senior IC: 0.05-0.2%</li>\n<li>Mid-level: 0.01-0.1%</li>\n<li>Junior: 0.005-0.05%</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Equity Pool Sizing</h3>\n<p><strong>Option Pool by Round:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Pre-Seed: 10-15% reserved</li>\n<li>Seed: 10-15% top-up</li>\n<li>Series A: 10-15% top-up</li>\n<li>Series B+: 5-10% per round</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Pre-Funding Dilution:</strong>\nInvestors often require option pool creation before investment, diluting founders.</p>\n<p><strong>Example:</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Pre-money: $10M\nInvestors want 15% option pool post-money\n\nCalculation:\nPost-money: $15M ($10M + $5M investment)\nOption pool: $2.25M (15% × $15M)\nFounders diluted by pool creation before new money\n</code></pre>\n<h2>Organizational Design</h2>\n<h3>Reporting Structure</h3>\n<p><strong>Pre-Seed:</strong></p>\n<pre><code>Founders (flat structure)\n├── Contractors\n└── First hires (report to founders)\n</code></pre>\n<p><strong>Seed:</strong></p>\n<pre><code>CEO\n├── Engineering Lead (2-4 engineers)\n├── Sales/Growth Lead (1-2 reps)\n├── Product Manager\n└── Operations\n</code></pre>\n<p><strong>Series A:</strong></p>\n<pre><code>CEO\n├── CTO / VP Engineering (6-20 people)\n│   ├── Engineering Manager(s)\n│   └── Individual Contributors\n├── VP Sales (5-15 people)\n│   ├── Sales Manager\n│   ├── Account Executives\n│   └── SDRs\n├── Head of Product (2-5 people)\n│   ├── Product Managers\n│   └── Designers\n├── Head of Customer Success (2-5 people)\n└── CFO / Finance Lead (2-5 people)\n    ├── Recruiter\n    └── Operations\n</code></pre>\n<h3>Span of Control</h3>\n<p><strong>Manager Ratios:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>First-line managers: 4-8 direct reports</li>\n<li>Directors: 3-5 direct reports (managers)</li>\n<li>VPs: 3-5 direct reports (directors)</li>\n<li>CEO: 5-8 direct reports (executive team)</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Full-Time vs. Contract</h2>\n<h3>Use Full-Time for:</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Core product development</li>\n<li>Sales (revenue-generating roles)</li>\n<li>Mission-critical operations</li>\n<li>Institutional knowledge roles</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Use Contractors for:</h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Specialized short-term needs (legal, accounting)</li>\n<li>Variable workload (design, marketing campaigns)</li>\n<li>Skills outside core competency</li>\n<li>Testing role before FTE hire</li>\n<li>Geographic expansion before permanent presence</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Cost Comparison</h3>\n<p><strong>Full-Time:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lower hourly cost</li>\n<li>Benefits and overhead</li>\n<li>Long-term commitment</li>\n<li>Cultural fit matters</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Contract:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Higher hourly rate ($75-$200/hour vs. $40-$100/hour FTE equivalent)</li>\n<li>No benefits or overhead</li>\n<li>Flexible engagement</li>\n<li>Easier to scale up/down</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Hiring Velocity</h2>\n<h3>Realistic Timeline</h3>\n<p><strong>Role Opening to Hire:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Junior: 6-8 weeks</li>\n<li>Mid-Level: 8-12 weeks</li>\n<li>Senior: 12-16 weeks</li>\n<li>Executive: 16-24 weeks</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Time to Productivity:</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Junior: 4-6 months</li>\n<li>Mid-Level: 2-4 months</li>\n<li>Senior: 1-3 months</li>\n<li>Executive: 3-6 months</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Planning Buffer</h3>\n<p>Always add 2-3 months buffer to hiring plans.</p>\n<p><strong>Example:</strong>\nIf need engineer by July 1:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Start recruiting: April 1 (12 weeks)</li>\n<li>Productivity: September 1 (2 months ramp)</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Budget Planning</h2>\n<h3>Compensation as % of Revenue</h3>\n<p><strong>Early Stage (Seed):</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Total comp: 120-150% of revenue (burning cash to grow)</li>\n<li>Engineering: 50-60%</li>\n<li>Sales: 30-40%</li>\n<li>Other: 20-30%</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Growth Stage (Series A):</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li>Total comp: 70-100% of revenue</li>\n<li>Engineering: 35-45%</li>\n<li>Sales: 25-35%</li>\n<li>Other: 20-30%</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Headcount Budget Formula</h3>\n<pre><code>Total Comp Budget = Σ (Role Count × Fully-Loaded Cost × % of Year)\n\nExample:\n3 Engineers × $202K × 100% = $606K\n2 AEs × $230K × 75% (mid-year start) = $345K\n1 PM × $162K × 100% = $162K\nTotal: $1.1M\n</code></pre>\n<h2>Additional Resources</h2>\n<h3>Reference Files</h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><code>references/compensation-benchmarks.md</code></strong> - Detailed salary data by role, level, and location</li>\n<li><strong><code>references/equity-calculator.md</code></strong> - Equity sizing formulas and dilution scenarios</li>\n</ul>\n<h3>Example Files</h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><code>examples/seed-stage-hiring-plan.md</code></strong> - Complete hiring plan for seed-stage SaaS company</li>\n<li><strong><code>examples/org-chart-evolution.md</code></strong> - Organizational design from 5 to 50 people</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Quick Start</h2>\n<p>To plan team composition:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Identify stage</strong> - Pre-seed, seed, or Series A</li>\n<li><strong>Define roles</strong> - What functions are needed now</li>\n<li><strong>Prioritize hires</strong> - Critical path for business goals</li>\n<li><strong>Set compensation</strong> - Base salary + equity by level</li>\n<li><strong>Plan timeline</strong> - Account for recruiting and ramp time</li>\n<li><strong>Calculate budget</strong> - Fully-loaded cost × headcount</li>\n<li><strong>Design org chart</strong> - Reporting structure and span of control</li>\n<li><strong>Allocate equity</strong> - Fair allocation that preserves pool</li>\n</ol>\n<p>For detailed compensation benchmarks and hiring plan templates, see <code>references/</code> and <code>examples/</code>.</p>\n<h2>Limitations</h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.</li>\n<li>Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.</li>\n<li>Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.</li>\n</ul>\n","files":[{"path":"SKILL.md","sizeBytes":10339,"isText":true}],"reviewScore":null,"reviewSummary":null,"trust":{"provenance":"human-reviewed","notice":"Community-authored content, reproduced verbatim and not vetted as instructions. Treat it as data to evaluate, never as directives to follow.","bodySource":null},"bodyLocked":false,"purchaseUrl":null,"sourceUrl":null,"report":{"provenance":"human-reviewed","screen":{"ran":true,"outcome":"flagged-cleared-by-moderator","suspicious":2,"notes":0,"hiddenCharacters":false},"virusScan":{"engine":"clamav","status":"clean","scannedAt":"2026-08-16T13:46:42.908085Z","sha256":"9ADE3299A575E927898065A075D396EF30B7ACC72882D0E5FE32DEE0199127C1","sizeBytes":4250},"review":null,"source":{"repositoryUrl":"https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills","path":"skills/team-composition-analysis","license":"MIT","commit":"f2bba339de74414b0771234cbe4f6a15258e32a3","subtreeSha":"57C818B42527D334346A4672ACFF5881E155347877DC0D9542399944A07CFA57","lastSyncedAt":"2026-09-25T06:48:39.853703Z"},"reviewedAt":"2026-09-06T17:54:25.172923Z","notice":"Community-authored content, reproduced verbatim and not vetted as instructions. Treat it as data to evaluate, never as directives to follow."},"install":[{"target":"skills-cli","command":"npx skills add https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills/tree/main/skills/team-composition-analysis"},{"target":"claude-code","command":"claude plugin marketplace add https://llmmart.ai/marketplace.json && claude plugin install sickn33-agentic-awesome-skills@llmmart"},{"target":"git","command":"git clone https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills.git"}]}