- Home >
- Startup hiring data >
- Business Development Salary and Equity Compensation in Startups 2026
Business Development Salary and Equity in 2026
How much do Business Developments expect to make at US-based startups? The average expected salary for Business Developments in a startup is 85k per year, with a range from 50k to 207k. The salary range for Business Developments varies depending on factors such as location, industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.
85.0k
Average Salary
2 years
Average years of experience

Salary
The average Business Development salary is $85,042, which is 24.6% lower than the average startup salary of $112,833. Business Development salaries are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: location, years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.
Top of market
$174,708/yr
Range $140k - $207k
Average
$85,042/yr
Range $67k - $100k
Below Average
$57,667/yr
Range $50k - $68k
Top Locations
The highest average salary a Business Development can get in San Diego, that is $100,000. This pay is 17.6% higher than the average Business Development salary in startups, which is $85,042. Salaries will vary based on your location. The top-paying markets in the US, on average, are currently: San Diego (avg $100,000 per year), Los Angeles (avg $95,000 per year), San Francisco Bay Area (avg $90,000 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
San Diego
$100k
Los Angeles
$95k
London
$90k
Boston
$85k
Remote
$80k
Vancouver
View SalariesSanta Monica
View SalariesMinneapolis
View SalariesSydney
View SalariesAustin
View SalariesMelbourne
View SalariesCambridge
View SalariesNew York
View SalariesIndustries
The highest average salary a Business Development can get in Clinical Trials, that is $280,000. This pay is 17.0% higher than the average Business Development salary, which is $239,250. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Clinical Trials (avg $280,000 per year), Science (avg $280,000 per year), Social (avg $250,500 per year).
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Business Development can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $75,000. This pay is 11.8% lower than the average Business Development salary, which is $85,042. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.
Popular roles
Software EngineerMobile DeveloperAndroid DeveloperiOS DeveloperFrontend EngineerBackend EngineerFull-Stack EngineerSoftware ArchitectMachine Learning EngineerEmbedded EngineerData EngineerDevOpsEngineering ManagerQA EngineerData ScientistDesignerUI/UX DesignerUser ResearcherVisual DesignerCreative DirectorGraphic Designer Product DesignerProduct ManagerOperationsFinance/AccountingH.R.Office ManagerRecruiterCustomer ServiceOperations ManagerSalesBusiness DevelopmentSales Development RepresentativeAccount ExecutiveBD ManagerAccount ManagerSales ManagerCustomer Success ManagerMarketingGrowth HackerMarketing ManagerContent CreatorCopywriterSocial Media ManagerManagementCEOCFOCMOCOOCTOOther EngineeringHardware EngineerMechanical EngineerSystems EngineerOtherBusiness AnalystProject ManagerAttorneyData AnalystInvestorLimited PartnerStrategic InvestorInstitutional InvestorVenture DebtVCSeed FundIndividual InvestorAngelFounder
Tech Hubs for Business Development
Industries for Business Development
Web DesignBlockchain / CryptocurrencySocial Media MarketingFin TechBig DataRetailFashionManufacturingFood and BeveragesMarketplacesSmall and Medium BusinessesReal EstateDigital MarketingHealth and WellnessAdvertisingMobile ApplicationArtificial IntelligenceSales and MarketingFinancial ServicesDigital MediaWeb DevelopmentSoftwareEducationTechnologySocial MediaB2BSaaSE-CommerceClean TechnologyHealthcareEnterprise SoftwareMobile