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I am not coming from a jaded bootstrapper angle at all. My point is simple: if you are in fundraising mode and are fundable, apply to YC. And talk to as many in

I am not coming from a jaded bootstrapper angle at all. My point is simple: if you are in fundraising mode and are fundable, apply to YC. And talk to as many investors as you can. If you are not, don't do any of those. Focus on building. YC would have another application in six months. YC is better than other investors, but it is still an investor. > the time to apply to YC is damaging It's not damaging but distracting. Focus is your biggest asset as a founder. And you need to minimize distractions. PG's essay on fundraising talks about the same. I do not have a viewpoint about other people venting about YC. I am not coming from that angle, and I have ignored those posts mostly simply because YC's content has helped me.

tptacek 2y ago
We agree more than we disagree. I'll only say that while it's ultra-clear to me what's distracting about talking to VCs, it's not all that clear to me a YC app is all that distracting. It's a one-and-done thing, you get an answer pretty quickly, lots of people apply so go in expecting not to get it this round; it feels low cost to me. Going out to talk to actual VC firms too early can put you into a tailspin, for sure.