How people actually get to the startup C-suite

What would it actually take to land a C-level role at a startup? People I know in Big Tech keep asking me. So I looked at the data: more than 6,000 Series A and later funding rounds, the leadership teams of 1,033 European startups, and the careers of 830 founders and C-level leaders.

Download the report (PDF)

Five things worth knowing

1. Series B is when startups start hiring from outside. Between Series A and Series B, the share with a hired CFO doubles to about one in three.

2. Most startups don’t have a CPO, even at Series C. Seven in ten at Series C and later still don’t.

3. Hired leaders come from big companies, consulting and Europe’s own tech companies. A third worked at a big corporate, and one in five came through consulting.

4. The closer you are to a startup, the shorter the route. From a European startup or unicorn, about two thirds went straight in. From big tech it took two to five years; from big corporates and consulting, seven to eight.

5. You don’t need one more promotion. You need a stepping stone. Most people at big employers didn’t move up a level before leaving. Half of hired leaders already had a C-level, VP, general manager or founder title in the job before.

The career figures come from my own LinkedIn network, so read the Big Tech ones as “among startup leaders I know”. The report explains how I did it.

Download the report (PDF)

Thinking about the move yourself?

At Big Tech, a corporate or a consultancy, and thinking about the move?

What’s next

Already at a startup or scale-up and aiming for a C-level role?

Coaching for you, as a leader