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Posting that kind of research is needlessly creepy.

People claiming to have gone though YC on HN without a known name will get called out. Hang around HN long enough and you'll know who is who.

quietly using partner/alumni investment as a signal for VCs doesn't quite fit the "Startups are a perfect meritocracy" narrative I'd prefer to believe...

What led you believe that? I'd guess startup investment is 90% social, 5% metrics and 5% technical. Witness, for example, the YC investment thesis of it being all about the team applying. Team dynamics aren't a meritocracy (except in the most broad sense I guess).