Can your model be replicated? YC's competitive advantage is their "brand", which existed before they funded their first startup. I'd bet a huge chunk of YC ap

Can your model be replicated? YC's competitive advantage is their "brand", which existed before they funded their first startup. I'd bet a huge chunk of YC applicants read PG's essays long before they even heard of YC. Applicants completely and wholeheartedly trust YC before they fill out the application. I would not have felt comfortable submitting the most intimate details of my company (including financial) to another company but I revealed them to YC without batting an eye.