The reality of an applicant is that there is extremely little information about a startup and its reputation, and what little there is is almost always identica

The reality of an applicant is that there is extremely little information about a startup and its reputation, and what little there is is almost always identical to every other startup (free food, have an impact, big challenges, blah blah blah). You only really discover whether it's a good fit or not after you've worked there for months. If you're really lucky, after you've had all the interviews. But really never ever before you've even applied. During the application process, I'd argue that the employer has the best idea whether the fit would be good or not.