About half the people in my cohort were full-time employees in other companies. I was dedicated to start a startup, and I already had some prototypes that were

About half the people in my cohort were full-time employees in other companies. I was dedicated to start a startup, and I already had some prototypes that were gaining traction (gitspo.com), but wasn't set on a specific direction. Whether it makes more sense for you to do it now or later depends on your personality and what you want to get out of the community. You will definitely have plenty of opportunities to network with potential cofounders by joining now. However, you should dedicate at least an hour (more like two) every day to attend fireside talks, dinners, etc. I feel like I bonded the most with people who participated semi regularly in all events, and it seems like the same group of people benefited the most from On Deck. In terms of privacy, On Deck has pretty strict guidance about not publicly disclosing who are the members, unless they explicitly opt-in.