Founders should be motivated by the mission of the new ventures more than the financial rewards. That being said, there is nothing wrong with founders paying themselves fairly and in fact, they should. It does not do the new ventures and all those associated with it to have the founders starving and worrying about where their next meal is going to come from. On the other extreme, founders financial rewards should come from equity not salary. That means by appreciation in the value of the companies stock they own rather than their salary. This keeps the founder focused on longer growth and value creation of the new venture. My general rule of thumb (which is not true in all circumstances0 is that the founders should pay themselves 20-50% less than what they would get in the open market for someone of their skill set. They are doing the new company NOT for the salary but for the longer term impact. Founders who pay themselves above what they would get in the open market do not impress me nor do they impress other stakeholders. Their commitment to the real cause of the new venture is not strong. So why would I care about it?