A peek at Germany’s venture capital payroll: Positive for women, less so for climate funds

Female investment managers at venture capital funds in Germany, on average, earn more than their male counterparts in the same roles. This is one of the findings of a survey of anonymous salaries of more than 170 employees in Germany conducted by a venture capital firm. XAnge.

Another noteworthy finding is that venture capital focused on climate technology offers lower salaries in all positions than others. Climate Ventures investment managers earn an average of €100,000 per year, compared to an average salary of €134,000 to €163,000 in other fund types.

Analysts at Climate Funds earn an average of 51,000 euros, compared to 65-70 thousand euros at other venture capital firms.

“I was really surprised to see the climate funds pay the lowest salaries across all experience levels than all the other funds,” said Astrid Moullé-Berteaux of XAnge. “In order to attract the best talent, this has to change.”

It found that female investment managers earn 12 percent more on average than men in the same job: €134,000 compared to €120,000 a year. Their salaries range between 96,000 and 260,000 euros, while the bandwidth for men ranges between 70,000 and 160,000 euros.

In terms of overall average packages, investment managers earn on average €133,000, which consists of a fixed salary of €99,000 and a variable package of €33,000.

Women in analyst positions also slightly outperform their male counterparts on average, earning €66,000 versus €63,000 per year. However, the annual salary range for an analyst is between 45 thousand euros and 90 thousand euros, while it is between 46 thousand euros to 95 thousand euros for men.

Only at the associate level, men earn more money on average and have a higher higher salary: an average of 89,000 euros against 80,000 euros for women, with a higher salary of 130,000 euros compared to 110,000 euros for women,

The interest charged (the share of dividends paid as an incentive, usually if the fund reaches a certain minimum return), varies widely across venture capital in Germany. The survey found that 13 percent of investment managers receive nothing, while 50 percent receive between zero to two percent, and the upper class, about 12 percent, receive between 2 to 4 percent.