Executive Compensation Advisor for Founder Role

Project Overview I am a co-founder of a Delaware C-corporation that is in the process of being acquired. All four co-founders are expected to move into the combined company. Company-level M&A counsel has been retained separately to represent the entity, and buyer’s counsel is expected to hold the pen on definitive documentation. Looking for an experienced executive compensation advisor to help me structure and benchmark my individual post-closing role, compensation, equity, and protective terms. This is a personal advisory engagement focused on my individual economics and role in the combined company. I am stepping into a full-time, US-based Chief Strategy Officer role as a W2 employee and executive officer. I want my individual terms aligned, documented, and negotiated in parallel with the acquisition documents, rather than deferred to a later employment negotiation. This is time-sensitive. Advisor Profile Sought: someone with deep experience in one or more of the following: - Executive compensation for venture-backed or growth-stage companies - Founder rollover and post-acquisition executive packages - M&A-related employment and retention arrangements - Equity incentive design, including restricted stock, options, RSUs, performance equity, and acceleration provisions - Benchmarking C-level compensation and equity grants - Coordination with legal and tax counsel on executive compensation structures The ideal advisor has worked on founder/executive packages in connection with acquisitions, financings, or venture-backed company restructurings. Scope of Work: 1. Role, Title, and Employment Terms Advise on appropriate terms for my appointment as Chief Strategy Officer and executive officer of the combined company, including: - Title and reporting line - Scope of authority over corporate strategy, capital formation, and corporate development Termination protections: Good-leaver treatment, Severance, Change-of-control protections Non-compete, non-solicit, confidentiality, and outside activity carve-outs 2. Cash Compensation Advise on and benchmark a cash compensation package consisting of: - Base salary - target bonus - Effective date tied to closing or qualifying financing - Parity with other senior executives/founders 3. Equity Structure Help structure and benchmark a equity package, expressed as percentages of fully diluted shares immediately following the financing, with floors rather than only fixed-dollar values: B. CSO Operating Equity Grant Target structure: - floor/target - Double-trigger acceleration - Appropriate vesting and good-leaver treatment C. Capital-Formation Performance Equity A separate performance-based equity pool tied to objective capital formation and committed deal value milestones, scaling up to approximately 2.0%. The advisor should help assess appropriate thresholds, vesting mechanics, performance conditions, and whether the milestones are objective, achievable, within my influence, and properly resourced.