Startup People Spend

Startup People Spend

Home
Notes
Archive
About

Promotion vs. Merit Recognition

When promotion is your only comp lever, the system rewards your best negotiators, not your best performers. Here's what to do instead.
READ THE LATEST
Talent Density: Fish Where the Fish Are
How startups can identify "movable" high-performing candidates and build a high density team while big tech demands RTO.
 • Cris Cafiero
Golden Handcuffs: The Startup Equity Trap & How to Avoid It
Why 2025 marked the end of the "IPO-or-bust" era, and how smart founders are using the secondary market to win the war for talent.
 • Cris Cafiero
Spread Thin: 3 Changes Startups Should Make To Their Comp
How to fix your talent density by resisting the "peanut butter" approach to comp, tweaking your bonus structure, and swapping options for RSUs.
 • Cris Cafiero
How Are Startups Thinking About Compensation in 2026?
The top 5 strategies, direct from early-stage startups, on how they're approaching their largest operating expense next year.
 • Cris Cafiero
What Happens When Startups Outgrow Their People Stack
When your people systems lag behind your product, growth slows and costs rise (sometimes without you realizing it). Here’s how to get them back in sync.
 • Cris Cafiero
The Case for HDHPs & HSAs: From Carrier Profits to Employee Pockets
The numbers behind HDHPs and HSAs and how they help startups lower spend while rewarding smarter care.
 • Cris Cafiero
The Honeymoon’s Over: How Startups Got Burned by Cheap PEO Rates and Massive Renewals—and How to Avoid It Next Time
Inside the inevitable cost of underpriced, artificially cheap PEO deals — and what to look for in a modern, reliable, strategic PEO before your next…
 • Cris Cafiero
Startup People Spend
Startup People Spend
From capital to headcount: weekly people spend guidance for early-stage founders, investors, and operators.
Recommendations
View all 15
Elite Leaders
Elite Leaders
Dennis Berry
Learning VC💡
Learning VC💡
Luis Llorens
Bot Memo
Bot Memo
Chintan Zalani
Leadership in Change
Leadership in Change
Joel Salinas
My Unicorn Club - The Startup Newsletter
My Unicorn Club - The Startup Newsletter
Sayanee Bhowmik

Startup People Spend

AboutArchiveRecommendationsSitemap
© 2026 Cris Cafiero · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture