Pace vs SalesPatriot (YC W25)

Two tiny, equity-first startups hiring true FDEs in 2026: Pace sells the seat as a founder track into insurance, SalesPatriot sends you to distributor sites in a defense supply-chain niche.

	Pace	SalesPatriot (YC W25)
Open roles	3	1
Comp on board	Undisclosed	$100K–$135K + 0.05–0.10% equity
FDE type	True forward-deployed	True forward-deployed
Travel	Medium	High
Comp	Equity-heavy	Equity-heavy
Stage	Early-stage	Early-stage
Our take	A sub-40-person insurance-ops AI company selling the FDE seat as a founder track — you are paid in equity and scope, not a posted salary.	A 15–20 person YC defense-supply-chain startup where the FDE lives at distributor sites all week — low cash, real equity, and the most hands-on seat on the board.

Bottom line

Pick Pace if you want enterprise-grade logos, a disclosed-nothing-but-ownership comp story and a London or NYC base; pick SalesPatriot if you want a posted band, a bigger-feeling cap-table stake and a brutal weekly-travel apprenticeship. Neither is a safe bet — the real question is which customer problem you want to own for the next three years.