[waterlesscloud]

That's cool and all, but what matters to a very early stage startup isn't the cost of hiring an engineer, it's covering the founders' living expenses and whatever business expenses arise (which may be very small).

You know this, so I'm not sure why you're off on a tangent about things that don't normally apply in these situations.

[tptacek]

There was a long comment here, but I found a better way to make my point:

If I gave you $120k to start a company with 1-2 other people, and you had no other funding commitments, I don't think I'd be changing your odds all that much.

But I have no trouble believing that when YC gives founders $120k, they are changing the odds significantly.