Lifecycle stage: Series B/C/D

LESSON BREAK

Risk: Low/Med

When a startup has product/market fit, is scaling up and has taken in multiple rounds of investment then most of the early startup-killing risks should have been removed, although it’s certainly still possible for growth-related problems or changes in the market to cause issues that could result in layoffs (or worse).

Work environment: Mixed

The company is still scaling up and likely looking towards an exit so there will be tough growth goals to meet. That said, by this stage the company should hopefully have enough people to “share the load” which should remove some of the individual pressure.

Suited to: Specialists

Teams should be large enough to have specialists performing the majority of key roles, and there will be layers of management and organizational structures in place to prevent people from working outside their core areas of responsibility.

Range of roles available: High

Startups of this size will be hiring for most of the positions that make sense within their sector of the industry, so you will find all of the operations and service related roles (legal, finance etc) and may also find roles like business operations and corporate development.

Compensation: Mid/High

A company that has raised multiple large rounds of funding will generally pay market rates or higher. As the company gets closer to an exit the odds of any equity or options becoming valuable increases dramatically, although the number of shares/options you’ll receive will be much lower than in an earlier stage company (fewer stock options, but a higher chance they will actually be worth something).

Experience building opportunity: Medium

You should be working alongside a team of high performing professionals, and the company should have the management and organizational structures in place to help you develop and gain experience. Most roles will be fairly specialized by this point so there will not be much opportunity to take on projects or tasks that are outside of your standard job description.

Career progression: Medium

Companies that are scaling up and aiming for an exit event should have solid management and organizational structures in place, so if you can “play the game” then there can be opportunities to move up in the organization. These later stage startups have some of the best brand recognition in the industry and this can be very helpful when the time comes to change jobs – even if you weren’t actually there from the start, many potential employers will still be impressed when they see a “known brand” on your CV.

Conclusion

Working for a scale-up stage startup is a fairly low-risk option with the potential for good career progression, and the increasing possibility of a financial windfall from options and equity. People with more generalized skill sets, or who prefer the relative freedom and challenges associated with early stage startups may feel confined within the organizational structure of a larger scale-up.