<story><title>Apply to YC for the Winter 2018 funding cycle</title><url>http://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>dzink</author><text>Correct me if I&amp;#x27;m wrong, but as a startup your metrics, learnings, and progress grows every single day, which means that applying early puts you at a disadvantage from your future self, let alone from competing companies, to get into one of those 400 interview spots. YC doesn&amp;#x27;t have the time and resources to re-review 7000 applications over and over again. If you re-submit later in this application cycle, you may not get reviewed again (I&amp;#x27;ve regretted submitting early in the past, after our updated video with co-founders, vs solo founder, didn&amp;#x27;t get viewed at all.) Thus even with months of application time, it still makes sense for applicants to wait until the last moment to submit. Again, comment if you know more.&lt;p&gt;Is rolling admissions an idea worth trying out for YC - all teams start at the same time, but interviewing and admission decisions don&amp;#x27;t have to?</text></comment>
<story><title>Apply to YC for the Winter 2018 funding cycle</title><url>http://www.ycombinator.com/apply/</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>wand3r</author><text>YC is great and am interested to see how their investment thesis progresses. It is an answer to Harvard&amp;#x2F;Ivy league criticism that if the teaching methodologies were as good as the institutions claim; scaling them would be a net good. Conversely, they are competitive because they do not scale them and thus Ivy schools have a finite demand and the scarcity boosts the value.&lt;p&gt;I hope YC can continue to deliver value by raising batch levels and providing support to through their satellite offering. It is difficult to replicate; or if replication is the wrong word-- provide a service &lt;i&gt;consistent&lt;/i&gt; with their brand and values-- via a distributed network with a remote team.&lt;p&gt;In many ways since it started, I think the Stripe Atlas program is a great way to address this issue and I can see it evolving into an investment model. I hope YC has the resources to scale their efforts. Scaling is hard; a mistake hurts their brand, credibility and their companies. Success broadens their Network, their portfolio and gives them a foothold in different markets and verticals.&lt;p&gt;Good luck; and sincerely thanks for pioneering this. It is much more brave than the ivy approach. YC believes-- with good reason-- in it&amp;#x27;s mission and I&amp;#x27;m glad they are willing to expand it&amp;#x27;s breadth with this, non profit, hard science and funding research</text></comment>