CTO Salaries in 2025: £150K or £300K?
Same title. Completely different roles.
So, what’s the deal with scaleup CTO salaries in 2025?
Job titles often don’t help. Because the same title can mean completely different things at different companies.
This means benchmarking CTO salaries is tough, and so it’s confusing for job hunters to know what to expect.
CTO Salaries in London
Series A: £150K to £200K
Late-stage VC/PE-backed: £175K to £250K
Established: £275K to £300K
B2B Fintech, SaaS and Enterprise AI continue to lead, salary wise.
And, of course, US firms pay higher than European ones.
Remote vs hybrid WFH – does this change salary expectations?
Absolutely! Companies are now paying more for London-based employees due to the high cost of living. But, if you're fully remote in a lower-cost location, expect a different pay scale.
Team size
Series A: Expect 10 to 50 tech staff
Late-stage VC/PE-backed: 50+ tech staff
Established SME: 100+ tech staff
Compensations: Equity, shares or bonus potential?
Ok so this part is interesting, as VC and PE firms are offering potentially huge payouts on a trade sale or event.
For series A: expect higher % in equity (1-2%) but obviously higher risk.
For late-stage VC/PE-backed: probably the sweet spot, its less % on paper but a life changing upside with a company that is already established and a higher chance of success.
A listed company: you’ll get stock options that can be sold, (£100K/£200K a year)
What’s needed in each role?
At series A: Hands-on, player-coach role (sorry I know this term annoys CTOs, but its what's requested).- Deeply involved in technical work - Mentoring junior team members - Typically a VP Engineering moving up - Strong technical architecture knowledge required.
Late-stage VC/PE-backed: Proven ability to scale software teams - C-suite experience essential - Not hands-on, but focused on team-building and leadership with corporate experience in governance and security.
Established company: Manage 100+ tech staff across multiple countries - Influence the Board and Investors - Focus on strategy and large budgets - Experienced in matrix management and larger-scale operations
Additionally, we’re seeing a shift whereby many companies are hiring seasoned CTOs as part-time advisors or mentors to guide their leadership teams.
So the conclusion same title CTO but a huge difference between each company.
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