Startup 1: $50k for 1 year (in the 90s, do the math what it would be right now)
Big company for some time
Startup 2: $0 for 2 years
Startup 3: $0 for 2 years
Startup 4: $0 for 2 years
Startup 5: $500k for 4 years
Startup 6: $1m for 1 year (still somewhat in play because 3/4 of my options got converted into the options of a public company as a result of acquisition, and I got RSU handcuffs on top of that)
All numbers before tax. I hope I'm done with my startup adventures. Lost taste for it.
Financially, based on my experience, startups do not make any sense as an employee.
Mentally, Startup 5 made me question my faith in humanity.