Matt McFarlane

Director at FNDN

Matt McFarlane helps Heads of People at scaling tech startups create compensation strategies that are fair, scalable, and aligned with business goals. He’s not just a comp specialist—he’s a career People Ops leader who’s lived the chaos of startup scale firsthand. At Oyster, he led compensation strategy as the company grew from 200 to 650+ employees, reduced salary costs by 23%, and helped drive 390% revenue growth. He’s crafted frameworks that balance employee experience with commercial outcomes, from salary bands and pay equity reviews to transparency rollouts and career paths. Matt now works with startups to build pay strategies that grow with their business—and give People leaders back the clarity, consistency, and confidence they need.

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The startup’s guide to building a clear, confident pay position

A well-crafted compensation philosophy isn’t just a “nice to have”—it’s a critical tool for attracting, retaining, and aligning talent in a fast-moving startup. But most early-stage businesses either skip it or overcomplicate it. In this candid, hands-on session, Matt McFarlane shares a practical framework for defining your unique approach to pay—rooted in your business model, cultural values, and resourcing realities. You’ll walk away with a toolkit to help you make principled trade-offs, communicate your position with confidence, and avoid common pitfalls that erode trust. No fluff, no corporate jargon—just tested strategies and templates you can take straight to your exec team tomorrow.