[hermanmerman]

YC operates like a startup would: they have a bold hypothesis, something that must be challenged ("most science is a slog"). There is very little chance that they could be right, but in case they are, and they execute well, the benefits could be huge.

Speeding up life sciences development cycles the way development cycles in software engineering have been sped up is the goal, but the way to do it is hard and complex and uncertain. It requires funding, perseverance, trial and error, incremental improvements as much as breakthroughs. YC has proven they're good at all of this.

[DaveWalk]

Well said. Maybe there is an analogy to software development decades ago -- slow and academic as the norm.