[webwright]

"This [free press coverage] is the main value of YCombinator: It provides guidance and media exposure that would otherwise take years to achieve, if at all".

No no no. It truly is not-- it blows me away how often people say this. Look at the traffic graphs of most YC companies and they have a healthy spike around Demo Day and then nearly flatline (and start the rough/long trudge up the hill).

If I were going to put things at the top of the list of values YC provides, I'd say it's:

- the (very) public declaration of intent-- it becomes DAMN awkward to quit once you're a YC company.

- the investor relationships, introductions, and acceleration. It's nearly impossible to pitch 150+ investors at once without YC. That setting results in faster investment oftentimes (but not fast enough).

- YC guidance. They've shepherded 100+ startups thru this now-- they have more data and better instincts about the "right" thing to do than most advisors... And invest way more time.

- The peer relationships. Very few early stage questions can't be (very effectively) answered by the collective wisdom of YC founders (who have all gone thru the same issues).