YC deals with people at such an earlier stage that a lot of their advice and hand-holding is more generic - how to get a product out the door, how to improve us

YC deals with people at such an earlier stage that a lot of their advice and hand-holding is more generic - how to get a product out the door, how to improve user conversions, how to attract quality talent - these are examples of isuses that are universal, so having (some) competitors isn't too much of a conflict. A later-stage VC, though, you might be having conversations with portfolio company A about how to entice sales people from portfolio company B, or portfolio company B might be getting ready to expand internationally and you're advising them on the best way to capture market share in Asia, where company A is stronger. It's much more specific, targeted advice and consultation vs. "here's how we're going to help you get off the ground"