[dougmwne]

To me, it is pretty clear that YC favors the young and narrowly focused. The advice in startup school, while excellent and evergreen, certainly seems geared toward early career people in its content. YC representatives have said again and again that they are looking for people without families, with low personal burn rates (live like college students), the flexible personal relationships to move to SF and work nonstop(no family), absolutely hungry to prove themselves, who are wicked smart and motivated, but not yet wise enough to say no to an incredibly risky bet where the downsides are all one-sided. The avoiding of solo founders I think has a lot to do with the typical applicant's age and experience as well.

YC's inferred goal is to launch young founders who would otherwise be ignored or not taken seriously (and perhaps end up with a financial advantage for discovering a diamond in the rough). You are already in orbit. Keep at it and good luck!