[fleitz]

More than they're willing to pay.

This is far more about negotiation than market rates. Who cares how much VC funded companies get, start by asking for 3 to 5 times what they are getting.

Flip the conversation, being bootstrapped, and having a dedicated team means you have no pressure to leave, so they must entice you with more money because you have no market forces acting against you.

Also, your team is there because they love you, not because your paying them, again another reason for them to give you more money.

VC repayment is tangible, it's easy to figure out how much VCs need to be made whole, loyalty and dedication are far more intangible and valuable.

If you negotiate like that you'll figure out pretty quickly whether they really want your team or whether they are trying to fill 4 seats.