There's an inherent tradeoff when it comes to startup compensation. What people don't talk enough about is the opportunity to learn at a great pace, which I quite didn't get working for a large publicly traded company.

I'm operating at a certain level of discomfort everyday, where I typically end my work week saying, "Wow. I learned quite a bit this week!" I'm challenged everyday doing something that is meaningfully innovative and looking forward to the company's future!