[harrywye]

I'm no expert in this area, but I just stumbled upon your post. Depending on the stage of the startup (and, importance of your role), you might get 1/4% or 1/8%, which is sort of standard, in my understanding, for early employees. But, these numbers do not really mean much, since your share will be diluted and diluted, and diluted, as the startup gets more funding. The cash equivalent of your option is close to zero at this point, so I wouldn't optimize for the option. (As for the valuation of the startup, if it has been funded, then there should generally be valuation based on the previous round. You can always ask the founder(s) and, I presume, most of them will be candid about it.)