How much equity should a technical cofounder get?

Updated Oct 1, 2026

Short answer: There is no fixed percentage. A technical cofounder who joins at the start with the same commitment as the other founders usually gets an equal or near-equal share; someone joining later, part-time, or after much of the work is done usually gets less — and every founder's stake should vest.

What drives the number

Look forward, not back: who is full-time, who is taking the bigger pay cut, and how central the person's role is to the next two years. For a software product, the person building it is often as critical as the person selling it, which is why equal splits are common between a technical and a commercial founder who start together.

When less than equal makes sense

If one founder has already built a working product, raised money or signed customers, or if the technical cofounder will be part-time until funding, a weighted split is reasonable. Joining after a priced round usually means a meaningful but much smaller stake, closer to an early-employee grant.

Protect everyone with vesting

Whatever the split, put four-year vesting with a one-year cliff on every founder. It makes a generous split far less risky, because equity that isn't earned stays with the company.

Score each founder's contribution with the equity split calculator, then read how to split equity with a cofounder.

Equity split calculator →Guide: How to find a technical cofounder →

General information, not legal, tax or investment advice.