That's exactly the point this article is trying to make, that you get more than just seed money being part of YC.
It's not clear to me how much value that adds over, say, raising from a few reputable angels in the Valley.
As a non-alum, it looks like the YC applicant pool has become so competitive — on maturity, not ambition or potential — that by the time they want you, you don't need them. Not that you ever need anyone.
One exception I can see is that if your startup will mostly have other startups as customers, YC could effectively gift you your first customers.
People often seem to get too hung up on what percent they own. While you should pay attention to this, it's more valuable to direct your effort toward how big you can make the pie.
Not sure if that's true anymore.
People often seem to get too hung up on what percent they own. While you should pay attention to this, it's more valuable to direct your effort toward how big you can make the pie.
Agreed and I tell friends that all the time. It's orthogonal to the point I'm making.