Option Pool Pre-Seed Calculator Model Your Hiring Reduce Dilution

Option Pool Pre-Seed Calculator: Sizing & Dilution Model

last updated: Feb 28, 2026
You are setting up your first equity incentive plan and you are terrified of giving away too much of the company before you even start. This model replaces emotional guessing with a hiring-based reality check. Before you sign a term sheet that dilutes you more than necessary, you need to understand the mechanics of the option pool shuffle.

TL;DR

An option pool pre-seed calculator is a modeling tool used to determine the exact percentage of company equity to reserve for future employees, balancing talent acquisition against founder dilution. Instead of arbitrarily picking a number, you work backward from your 18-month hiring plan to find the "minimum viable pool" size.

  • Benchmark: The standard pre-seed pool size sits in the 10% to 15% range. Anything over 15% at this stage is usually excessive investor protection (Source: Founder FAQs).
  • Rule: The "Pre-Money Shuffle." Investors usually mandate the pool comes out of your pre-money valuation, meaning you pay for it, not them.
  • Warning: Do not create a pool for "future-proofing" 5 years out. Unissued options at the next round are often canceled or re-absorbed, meaning you diluted yourself for nothing.

How to read this: Use the table below to see how much of the company you actually own after the "shuffle."

Glossary

  • Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP): The legal bucket where you hold shares reserved for employees. It sits on the cap table as a distinct line item.
  • Fully Diluted Basis: A calculation method that assumes all convertible notes, warrants, and options are exercised. Investors value your company on this number to lock in their ownership percentage.
  • Hiring Runway: The number of months (or specific roles) you can "afford" to hire using equity compensation before the pool runs dry and you need to ask shareholders to approve an increase.

How to calculate your option pool

This table models the impact of different pool sizes on founder ownership during a standard Pre-Seed round.

Assumptions for this model:
  • Round Size: $1,000,000 raised.
  • Valuation: $4,000,000 Pre-Money ($5,000,000 Post-Money).
  • Investor Stake: 20% (fixed).
  • Structure: Pool is created in the pre-money (founder dilution only).

Dilution impact table
Pool Size (Post-Money)
Founder Ownership
Investor Ownership
Hiring Runway (Est. Hires)
Risk Level
10%
70%
20%
8-10 Hires
High (Tight)
12.5%
67.5%
20%
10-12 Hires
Balanced
15%
65%
20%
12-15 Hires
Safe (Standard)
20%
60%
20%
16-20 Hires
Excessive (Founder heavy dilution)

Benchmarks

Use these ranges to estimate how much equity you need to reserve. These figures reflect market standards for Pre-Seed to Seed stage companies.

Hiring capacity estimates

  • Senior Engineer / First Hire: 0.5% to 1.0%
  • Mid-Level Engineer: 0.2% to 0.4%
  • Junior / Support: 0.05% to 0.15%
Note: Early engineers command significantly higher equity than hires made at Series A.

Sample math
To calculate your specific ownership stake, use this "Pre-Money Pool" formula:
Founder % = 100% - Investor % - Pool %
If you raise capital selling 20% of the company, and the VC demands a 15% option pool:
  1. Start: 100%
  2. Subtract Investor: 100% - 20% = 80%
  3. Subtract Pool: 80% - 15% = 65%
  4. Result: You (and co-founders) own 65%.
Real-world implication: You are effectively paying for the employee pool entirely out of your pocket, while the investor maintains their full 20% protection.

Pre-money vs post-money pool

This is the single most negotiated term regarding option pools outside of the size itself.
  • Option A: The pre-money pool (Standard). The pool is created before the investment money counts toward the valuation. This means the dilution falls 100% on the existing shareholders (founders). Investors love this because they buy into a company that already has a "fully stocked" employee incentive plan without diluting their own 20% stake. Most term sheets default to this.
  • Option B: The post-money pool (Founder friendly). The pool is created after the investment. This means the dilution is shared focused on pro-rata ownership. If you add a 10% pool post-money, both you and the investor get diluted equally. This is rare at Pre-Seed but worth asking for if you have strong leverage.

Risks

  • The "Future-proofing" trap. Founders often think, "I don't want to do this again, let's just make the pool 20% now so we are safe for 3 years." This is a mistake. Unissued options do not always carry over cleanly. In a "down round" or a recapitalization, unissued shares might be canceled or the new investors might demand a fresh pool regardless of what you saved. You simply diluted yourself early for zero benefit.
  • The "Refresh" trap. If you size the pool too small (e.g., 5%), you will run out of equity before your next round. You will then have to issue new options to hire a critical VP of Sales. This requires board approval and usually triggers a "top-up" that dilutes everyone again, but from a position of weakness. Aim for an 18-month hiring runway — no more, no less.

Conclusion

Mastering the option pool pre-seed calculator is a necessary step to avoid early cap table ruin, but it is not the whole picture. You can preserve an extra 5% of equity by negotiating a tighter pool, but if your other variables — Offer, Strength, Market Timing — are weak, your probability of hitting $10k MRR remains near 0%.

Founders often obsess over the difference between a 10% and 15% pool because it feels like a controllable math problem. It is a distraction. If you do not have revenue, that 5% equity saving is effectively 5% of nothing. Use this calculator to set the pool once, stop guessing, and get back to shipping.
Take the 90-second audit to calculate your probability of hitting $10k MRR in the next 90 days.
Don't Build a Zombie Startup
Calculate my chances
📉 Average Score: 12% | ⚡ Top 1% Founders: 85%+
FAQ
  • You:
    How big should my pre-seed option pool be?
    Guide:
    Aim for 10% to 15% on a fully diluted post-money basis. If an investor asks for 20%, they are likely using a "standard" template meant for Series A companies. Push back by showing your hiring plan requires less equity.
  • You:
    Who pays for the option pool?
    Guide:
    In 95% of pre-seed deals, the founders pay. The pool is created "pre-money," meaning the dilution comes entirely from the founders' existing shares before the new investment cash is added. The investor buys their 20% stake after the pool is created. See more on the Option Pool B2B Framework.
  • You:
    What happens to unallocated options at the next round?
    Guide:
    This is the "Option Pool Shuffle." Often, unissued options are canceled to increase the share price, or they are absorbed into the new round's pool. If you make the pool too big now, you effectively diluted yourself early for no benefit.
No-BS guides
© 2026
Linkedin
Learn from founders
Twitter