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Tech leaders in engineering, product, data science earn 80% more; startup CFOs pay linked to fundraising, says xto10x report

CTOs and senior VP-product roles are commanding median fixed salaries of Rs 1.77 crore and Rs 1.72 crore, the latest Total Rewards Benchmarking Report by xto10x says

March 06, 2025 / 10:37 IST
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Tech and product leaders are reaping the rewards, while chief financial officers (CFOs) are increasingly being evaluated on their ability to secure funding. As Indian startups adapt to a changing compensation landscape, leadership salaries are experiencing a significant shift.

The latest TRB (Total Rewards Benchmarking) report by xto10x, Evolving Compensation Trends—Indian Startup Ecosystem, reveals that engineering, product, design, and data science leaders are pulling ahead in the pay race, leaving behind traditional functions like human resources (HR), marketing, and finance.

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xto10x, backed by Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal, is a scaling platform dedicated to assisting growth-stage startups in navigating expansion. It helps startups with moving from early success (0 to 1) to sustainable, large-scale operations (1 to 10).

According to the report, chief technology officers (CTOs) and senior vice president (VP)-product roles command a median fixed salary of Rs 1.77 crore and Rs 1.72 crore, respectively. The gap is striking when compared to brand marketing heads earning Rs 80.6 lakh, VP-sales (B2B SaaS) at Rs 85.1 lakh, chief human resources officers (CHROs) at Rs 95.2 lakh, and CFOs at Rs 1.1 crore.