diff --git a/benchmark/startup.js b/benchmark/startup.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3d1f443a4f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/benchmark/startup.js
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+var spawn = require('child_process').spawn,
+    path = require('path'),
+    emptyJsFile = path.join(__dirname, '../test/fixtures/empty.js'),
+    starts = 100,
+    i = 0,
+    start;
+
+function startNode() {
+  var node = spawn(process.execPath || process.argv[0], [emptyJsFile]);
+  node.on('exit', function(exitCode) {
+    if (exitCode !== 0) {
+      throw new Error('Error during node startup');
+    }
+
+    i++;
+    if (i < starts) {
+      startNode();
+    } else{
+      var duration = +new Date - start;
+      console.log('Started node %d times in %s ms. %d ms / start.', starts, duration, duration / starts);
+    }
+  });
+}
+
+start = +new Date;
+startNode();
diff --git a/test/fixtures/empty.js b/test/fixtures/empty.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..092bc2b041
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/empty.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+;