Yes. You have to be a world-eating monster to build something viable and you can't be depending on help just because your brain connects YC with "success". If

Yes. You have to be a world-eating monster to build something viable and you can't be depending on help just because your brain connects YC with "success". If we are more articulate about it, we will find some reason that its a 'nice extra'. YC gives you: - No distractions of trying to make a living for 3 months - Ridiculous amounts of connections for funding - An environment full of smart, successful people who are professionals at giving feedback and being critical Now we know why YC helps so much, at the absolute minimum, and we can reproduce it without YC if we don't get in. Thats the game.