Techniques for generating a control voltage for a pass transistor of a linear regulator to avoid in-rush current during a start-up phase. In an aspect, a digital comparator is provided to generate a digital output voltage comparing a function of the regulated output voltage with a reference voltage, e.g., a ramp voltage. The digital output voltage is provided to control a plurality of switches selectively coupling the gate of the pass transistor to one of a plurality of discrete voltage levels, e.g., a bias voltage or a ground voltage to turn the pass transistor on or off. In another aspect, the digital techniques may be selectively enabled during a start-up phase of the regulator, and disabled during a normal operation phase of the regulator.