[sjroot]

I’ve been in this position myself. To be fair, you aren’t bootstrapping if you’re taking YC funds, right?

They are seeking returns on this investment in the magnitude seen in previous YC company IPOs, as mentioned in the article. Is a bootstrapped company likely to have that outcome? Possibly, but much less likely than those that have swelled with additional funding rounds and more rapid/predictable public interest.

[_xnmw]

Exactly, so if I apply to YC while intending to go big, but not raise additional funding rounds, am I defrauding them with a bad-faith application?

[Kevin_S]

Surely not. If you don't raise another round, YC may just write off this as a cost of doing business (similar to failed startups they've invested).

It may be written into the terms some other backup for this situation.