Median CEO Pay Jumps To $275,000 At Venture-Backed Companies

The median compensation package for chief executive officers at venture-backed information technology companies has soared to a median of $275,000, according to a new survey.

The Dow Jones VentureOne survey included responses from more than 700 executives at companies that have received venture capital funding. The median package in October of 2005 was $254,000.

Compensation includes salary and bonus.

At venture-backed healthcare companies, the median compensation package increased to $284,000 from $262,000, the survey reported.

However, compensation for CEOs at products and services firms receiving venture backing remained at $260,000, Dow Jones VentureOne said.

“Technology investing is once again on an upswing, more new companies are being financed, and the IPO climate for the industry has improved this year,” said Steve Harmston, director of global research for VentureOne, in a statement. “As a result, CEOs who have negotiated technology companies through some challenging economic times in the past few years are perhaps justifiably being rewarded for their stewardship.”

Dow Jones VentureOne compiles the CEO compensation package as part of its CompensationPro report.

Overall median salaries for CEOs at venture-backed firms is $225,000 and bonuses hit a median of $50,000.

CEOs also reported having an average of 5 percent equity in the firms they mange, an increase from 4.6 percent in 2005.