This is not an example of virtue signalling. YC invest their own money and so it is their cost. The applicants applied to a program where they knew the rules.

This is not an example of virtue signalling. YC invest their own money and so it is their cost. The applicants applied to a program where they knew the rules. Because it's their money they make the rules. And I reckon, they believe their rules get the best results. This is not virtue signalling, it's taking action.