My cofounder and I raised (not from YC) on a deck. The network was what mattered for this, though. A former colleague (an exec at my previous job) is also a ve

My cofounder and I raised (not from YC) on a deck. The network was what mattered for this, though. A former colleague (an exec at my previous job) is also a venture partner at a credible firm, who introduced me to his network of VCs and to a number of potential cofounders, including the person with whom I am now building this company. And my cofounder's own network is vast, which led to a ton of investor interest and favorable terms. Again: he made a slide deck and used his network and we started building once we had funding. It doesn't surprise me that YC companies do likewise.