How big should the option pool be at seed?
Based on advice from Balderton Capital, Index Ventures · Updated 2 October 2026
Short answer
Balderton Capital recommends an employee option pool of about 7.5 to 10% of total equity from seed to Series A, 9 to 12% at Series B, 12 to 15% at Series C and 15% or more after that. Founder shares are separate and don't count toward the pool.
Pool size by round
From Balderton's guide to employee equity, as a share of total equity (granted and not yet granted):
- Seed to Series A: 7.5 to 10%
- Series B: 9 to 12%
- Series C: 12 to 15%
- After that: 15% or more
How to manage it
- After any round up to Series B, aim to have about 7.5% of the company still ungranted in the pool. After Series C, about 5%.
- Review the pool size every year against your hiring plan. Funding rounds are a natural moment to do it.
- Founder shares are not part of the pool.
Vesting
Balderton recommends the industry standard: 4 years of vesting with a 1-year cliff, then monthly vesting. Most startups use it, employees understand it, and acquirers expect it.
In your deck
Investors will look at your option pool in the cap table and data room. Know its size before the first meeting, because it affects how much of the company you keep.
Read the originals
- Guide to employee equity · Balderton Capital
Pool sizes by round, vesting and grants, from a top European VC.
- OptionPlan · Index Ventures
Size individual grants by role and level from Index's benchmark data.
Questions founders ask
- How big should an option pool be at seed?
- About 7.5 to 10% of total equity from seed to Series A, according to Balderton Capital's guide to employee equity.
- Do founder shares count in the option pool?
- No. Balderton's guide says founder shares are separate from the employee pool.
- What is the standard vesting schedule?
- 4 years with a 1-year cliff, then monthly. Balderton recommends it as the industry standard.
Get your deck reviewed the same way.
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Keep reading
- How should cofounders split equity?
Carta's data on how cofounders really split equity: 41% of two-founder teams split equally, rising to 45.9% in 2024, and a lead founder usually gets more.
- How much should you raise in a seed round?
YC's guide: raise enough for 12 to 18 months, tie it to a plan, and try to give up 10 to 20%, never more than 25%. Plus Carta's data on founder ownership.