There is a good deal of research that has concluded attending an elite private university has a significant impact on career earnings[1][2]. If you are suggest

There is a good deal of research that has concluded attending an elite private university has a significant impact on career earnings[1][2]. If you are suggesting that the Y Combinator alumni network is of immense tangible value, what research do you have to back it up? To be fair to you, there obviously isn't a whole lot of longitudinal data, but as I pointed out, Y Combinator's portfolio stats look pretty much in line with what you'd expect in Silicon Valley. The value of an alumni network is tied to what it can reasonably do for you. Ivy League alumni networks have been tapped for decades for lucrative opportunities not easily accessed by outsiders. [1] http://www.nyu.edu/classes/jepsen/hoxby-selective.pdf http://www.nyu.edu/classes/jepsen/hoxby-selective.pdf [2] http://www.nber.org/papers/w5613 http://www.nber.org/papers/w5613