SYC argues their advice and connections are worth this premium. I respectfully disagree. Advice and connections for even idea-stage entrepreneurs are easy to fi

SYC argues their advice and connections are worth this premium. I respectfully disagree. Advice and connections for even idea-stage entrepreneurs are easy to find with a little initiative, and if you don’t have that, you’ll fail as an entrepreneur. YC’s connections, Demo Day, and brand are indeed value-added, but it’s hard to argue they’re worth ten times an angel and free advice and connectionss I strongly disagree with this statement. As someone who was in the Valley at age 19 I can attest to how backwards many companies are run and how valuable it is to have an experienced entrepreneur guiding you. Of the companies I was around the major difference between success and failure was how much effort the Angel investors put in to mentoring their founders. As far as connections, I mean no offense to the author of this article but it's foolish to assume people will acquire connections as valuable as those Paul Graham has simply by showing up. The more I live in the world the more I realize it's all about connections and the doors that are opened through YC are easily worth an extra 4% In the end you can argue hypothetical numbers all you want but the reality is you have to make a company successful before it's worth anything. Good advice and industry connections are vital to making that happen.