[ndl]

With the huge amount of publicity and increased likelihood that more older entrepreneurs will apply, the probability of acceptance for some teams may decrease so much as to reduce the average return on investment. $150k seriously opens the space to entrepreneurs with a family to support and may draw out people who were previously hesitant to turn down a 6 figure salary. If experience grants a significant advantage, the just-out-of-college startups may find their acceptance probability approaching 0 and jump ship for smaller, easier sources.

I still plan to apply for this round but shall monitor the kind of startups YC funds in the future to determine how the probabilities change. It depends on how the selectors respond to changes in the applicant demographics.

[csel]

Great point. Keep in mind that for the next 4-6 months, a lot of new startups are going to be focused on YC because of the guaranteed 150k funding. This means, there will be a lot of opportunity with other angel investors who will be eager to invest on startups out of YC. And if you are lucky and hardworking (in terms of seeking funding), you may even get more money than the 150k. It is actually a win-win situation for new startups.