Lifecycle stage: Series A

LESSON BREAK

Risk: Medium

A company that has raised Series A funding has ideally found (or is close to) product/market fit, which reduces some of the risk seen at the earlier seed stages. But the number one priority is still growth, and in highly competitive markets it’s not uncommon for startups who appear to be on the right path to encounter issues and blow up.

Work environment: Fast-paced, high-stress

Reaching product-market fit is not the time to slow down – most Series A companies will be pushing for maximum growth and looking to scale up as quickly as possible. You can expect longer working hours and frequent changes to your team as new members are hired and existing members are shifted to other roles or leave the company.

Suited to: Generalists and specialists

As team sizes grow they will start to hire more specialists and management layers will become more pronounced. As an example, while the sales team may have started as one person you may now have a VP of Sales leading the team, and multiple sales development representatives and account managers working underneath them.

Range of roles available: Medium

Existing departments like engineering, product, design, marketing, support and sales will be hiring more widely than in the early stages. Some additional support and operations roles may be added if they don’t already exist, like People Operations to help scale up hiring.

Compensation: Medium

Base salaries should be market rate and any options or equity you receive should have a small chance of being worth something in the future, although it’s definitely not guaranteed.

Experience building opportunity: Good

By this stage the company should have a decent product and a highly motivated, although still relatively small team. If you are willing to put in hard work then it’s often possible to take on additional responsibilities and grow with the company.

Career progression: Medium

If the company continues to grow and you can keep up with it then you can have good opportunities for career progression. Series A startups are often starting to gain some brand recognition within the wider tech community which can be useful for your resume if you eventually decide it’s time to look for a position elsewhere.

Conclusion

Joining a Series A company can be a good compromise between the excitement that comes with being part of the early team, while waiting long enough to remove some of the risk that is inherent with early stage startups. If you pick the right company and can rise alongside it then there is a good opportunity for career growth.