How to grant advisor equity without over-committing your cap table. Benchmark grant sizes, vesting terms, and the FAST agreement template.
Advisors are common at every stage — but advisor equity is one of the most abused instruments on early cap tables. Too many advisors, too much equity, and unclear expectations lead to messy cap tables and disappointed contributors. Use the FAST agreement, right-size grants, and be selective.
Standard advisor (monthly meetings, network intros, specific asks): 0.1-0.25% at seed stage, 0.05-0.15% at Series A+. Strategic advisor (deep operational involvement, board observer, specific asks fulfilled): 0.25-0.5% at seed, 0.15-0.35% at Series A. Category-defining advisor (industry legend, opens major doors): 0.5-1% at seed. Anything above 1% for an advisor role should be reclassified as an operator role.
Standard: 2-year vest, monthly vesting, no cliff. Because advisor relationships often end informally, cliff-based vesting creates awkward departure conversations. Monthly vesting from month 1 lets the relationship end naturally without acrimony. Add change-of-control acceleration for advisors closely involved.
The Founder / Advisor Standard Template (FAST), created by Founder Institute, is the market-standard advisor agreement. Free, legally reviewed, and used by thousands of startups. Includes standard grant sizes, vesting, and role definitions. Almost always sufficient for advisor grants — customization creates negotiation overhead without value.
Too many advisors: 3-5 active advisors is the practical limit. Beyond that, you can't maintain meaningful relationships. Vague expectations: define specific asks ("3 hours/month, 5 warm intros per quarter, 1 review of pitch deck per raise") — nebulous advisor relationships fail. Continuing to grant equity to disengaged advisors — put a check-in every 6 months and stop vesting for uninvolved advisors.
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