[patio11]

The general "YC gives you not so much for quite a lot of equity" critique would have made a lot of sense ~5 years ago, when all you'd reasonably count on from doing YC is $10-20k. Currently, you're structurally guaranteed a substantial follow-on investment on terms which are practically "free money", and if your startup is not a walking zombie you're all but a mortal lock on a seed round at quite possibly the most systematically founder-friendly funding feeding frenzy terms in the Valley.

That's if you value the actual participation in YC (and later in their mafia) at nothing. I'd personally suggest, on the basis of numerous reports by founders I find personally credible, that it's a really good network to be in if your life plan includes doing a funded trajectory sort of company.

Incidentally, I've got a wee bit of experience with the boostrapped software business thing, and unless you do the consultancy to product route (which has plenty to recommend it) you're most probably going to take a dip from $120k to $150k for a couple of years at the outset. I know people who paid themselves that in year 2, but that's not incredibly common, and I'm coming up blank thinking of any bootstrapped product companies which made their founders that right out of the gate. (It's doable in consulting -- aggressive, but clearly doable.)

If that's a huge problem for you, I recommend a job at AmaGooFaceSoft. They're all good companies, they cut quite steady checks, and there is nothing wrong with taking their money if your family situation demands an iron floor at $120k.