[sorenbs]

From the YC application page:

"The ideal company would have two or three founders. We’ll consider those with four or five. We’re reluctant to accept one-person companies, though we have funded a few."

There exists a large group of technical people who are currently only capturing a small fraction of the value they are creating for whom getting into a position where they would fit the YC ideal company is untenable. For this group EF is a valuable option and I'm quite surprised this model isn't more widespread.

Everybody in the EF cohort are quite smart so if they were in a position to take the YC deal i'm sure most would :-)