I don’t think you are “most likely to get rejected” IIRC, they have a preference for founders > 1 but it is not a strict rule. From an investment perspective t

I don’t think you are “most likely to get rejected” IIRC, they have a preference for founders > 1 but it is not a strict rule. From an investment perspective this makes sense for a number of reasons. Diversification at the top decision maker level may be seen as beneficial. Bus factor is greater than or equal to 1. (vs exactly 1 for a solid founder) if a solo founder decides to pack it in or is the victim of a bus accident, the probability the startup will survive, in the early stages and maybe much longer, is approximately zero. Separation of concerns may be possible. Sales/marketing/anything non-technical + technical is a powerful combination if both are scrappy. Getting a solo founder that’s good at both is exceedingly rare. I am certain the list goes on and I may not have even touched on the most important points that YC values. My own experience, however, is that if you are not selecting cofounders from a pool that meets or exceeds your own level of ambition/dedication and skill, you are almost certainly going to fail. I would argue, if you don’t have access to the right people in your network when you form your initial business, the odds are much better if you wait and take on a cofounder at a later time, even if it feels like they weren’t there for the beginning. If your startup is remotely successful the future will be much longer than the short history of your company and the benefits of having a good cofounder will outweigh whatever equity you give up.