Y Combinator Numbers
Long term I think the big question is how much of the success of YC companies is directly related to the external benefits of being YC companies. There's no question they tend to get far more attention on every front (VC/valuations/press/bizdev/hiring, etc) than they otherwise would.In a few years when there are 1000 YC companies it will start to mean a lot less to all those people who have been helping YC companies succeed to date. It probably already means a lot less to a VC to hear you're a YC company, because they've met 300 of them.If it's the YC halo effect that's driving high returns it will be a big problem if it starts to wear off.