Size an option pool from planned hiring and the grant levels each role expects.
Sizing a pool bottom-up from the hiring plan is far more defensible than picking a round number. The buffer matters because pools also fund retention refreshes, not just new hires. A pool sized without a buffer runs out mid-cycle, and topping it up between rounds means another dilution conversation with the board.
Option Pool
Pool = Σ (hires in each band × equity granted per hire in that band)
Pool = Σ (hires in each band × equity granted per hire in that band) Sizing a pool bottom-up from the hiring plan is far more defensible than picking a round number. The buffer matters because pools also fund retention refreshes, not just new hires.
A pool sized without a buffer runs out mid-cycle, and topping it up between rounds means another dilution conversation with the board.
This calculator takes 6 inputs: Senior hires planned, Equity per senior hire, Mid-level hires planned, Equity per mid-level hire, Junior hires planned, Equity per junior hire. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.