Ouch! ;) I'm probably biased but a big part of the value we've received from YC has been from access to alumni -- for example, when going out for our series A Sam was actually the most helpful out of anyone we spoke to, having just gone through the process himself (and done a killer job!). I think the view we can bring as alumni going through later stage startups is that we have immediate relevant operational experience to earlier stage startups.
Totally agree with you, Justin. Garry and Sam were hugely influential for us at really important junctures during YC, and have continued to be helpful afterwards.
that wasn't intended to diminish your personal value or expertise. I think there is a general concern that future YC batches will have less personal involvement from the people that made YC compelling.
From what I've heard from people in YC, Sam, Garry, and a few other YC alums have been incredibly useful, in addition to the senior YC partners. The only bottleneck has been food distribution at events.
