[muzani]

YC does basically 7% for $125k + $375k. Plus mentoring, discounts, access to higher level VCs and so on. https://www.ycombinator.com/deal

The deals seem to drop substantially from the top accelerator, but the bar drops too. I like accelerators though, because going in cold to a larger VC is hard, and just the "acceleration" of a few warm intros is usually worth the 7% or so. You'd be looking to grow 7% weekly anyway, it's not a huge cut even if you get almost no money.

The bad deals are generally the ones that slow you down. These are the guys that drop bad advice, interfere in how things are operating, scare off other investors. Like you don't want to give a portion to a bad accelerator and then try to join YC.

IMO if you're learning a lot just by talking to them, they're probably a good deal. Most will open the door for you, listen to your pitch, give you all kinds of amazing advice and data, then wish you luck. Those ones are good.