SE Salary by Company Stage (2026)
How Solutions Engineer compensation changes across company stages, from Seed ($125K median) through Enterprise ($195K median). Includes equity and total comp analysis.
Seed Stage
Median: $125K | 18 respondents
Series A
Median: $145K | 32 respondents
Series B
Median: $168K | 45 respondents
Growth Stage
Median: $185K | 64 respondents
Enterprise
Median: $195K | 89 respondents
Company stage is one of the strongest predictors of SE compensation. The $70K gap between Seed stage ($125K median) and Enterprise ($195K median) reflects the trade-off between cash comp and equity upside that SEs navigate at every career stage. For context on how seniority affects comp at each stage, see our seniority breakdown.
Source: PreSales Pulse Market Analysis 2026 (n=327). Salary data combines analysis of 4,250+ Solutions Engineer job postings with compensation survey data from verified SE professionals across 15 US markets. Cross-referenced with data from Bureau of Labor Statistics and Levels.fyi.