<prompt> Human: Hey fam,Ill try to keep this brief and fill in details as needed.I work at a small nanotech startup as a project manager and mechanical engineer. Weve been tight on funding since our previous CEO and CFO tried to pump and dump us, but theyre gone now and the COO has stepped up to fill the CEOs role. Since then we also laid off an entire engineering team and a bunch of business employees. Now were as lean as it gets, and theres a lot of pressure on the remaining employees to keep things moving.Shortly after the downsizing I approached the CEO asking to discus my first-year review and compensation. Since I was hired I accomplished my MS mech. eng. and based on the 360 review by my direct supervisor have been excelling in this role, taking on way more than they expected and being very successful with it. When I was hired I didnt have a job, so I took pay slightly below market because thats what you do when you need to make rent. But now that disparity feels even larger, so I wanted to present my argument for more.6 weeks ago I had my first meeting I brought up wanting to discuss comp even longer, but lets just stick to hard dates. He asked me to do market research and come back with a package I think fits me. I had already done that, so I verified those numbers and set up a meeting for the following week.At that meeting 4 weeks ago things went... poorly. Cash is tight... the board needs to see more progress... were all taking a hit this year. But more importantly, he disagreed with my personal valuation. He agreed there was a disparity, but not that large. Ok thats fine, whats the counter offer? I need to talk with the board about options. That meeting is next week.Today 3 weeks after the meeting with the board I asked him to meet to recap Ive been slammed with work, and didnt want to be pushy, and he said hes not ready to talk. He needs 2 more weeks to evaluate the end of our last fundraise with the board.That puts us at 8 weeks from the first meeting. I feel like all of his delays are reasonable, but Im also very concerned that hes just buying time to keep me working at my abysmal rate 20k below market and ultimately just lowball me.Whats the appropriate way to request a discussion sooner, or at least probe at the climate? I know I can leave, and I have started updating my info for job applications, but I really love this team and my role. I have way more responsibility than I would elsewhere, and Im learning a ton. Spending another 6 months here would mean I see the end of 2 huge 500k projects Ive been the PM and lead engineer for, and I would really like to be able to include that experience in my portfolio. However, like I said, sometimes I feel like Im getting the finger and being told to get back to work.Cheers.  <response>: The salary increase isnt going to happen, if it does, it wont be much. This sounds like a very cash-poor company currently. You have two options:1. If you believe in the company, take the equity. Hopefully in a few years, that will be worth more than the salary increase.2. If you dont believe in the company, start interviewing at other places and see if youre worth however much you think you are. If you are, jump ship as this company probably doesnt have the resources to keep you on. 