Issues with YC

I’ve been thinking a lot about how homogenized the global startup ecosystem has become. The accelerator model scaled the playbook for launching companies, but in doing so it also standardized the kinds of founders VCs see, the narratives they bet on, and the cadence of capital allocation. Demo days used to surface outliers; now they often produce variations of the same idea with different logos. When everyone sources from the same funnels and optimizes for the same signals, the real sources of venture edge — differentiated insight and contrarian conviction — start to fade.

It feels like we’re unintentionally converging toward “safe” innovation, where ambition is driven by pattern recognition rather than imagination. And I keep wondering whether the next iconic company will emerge outside these well-worn paths, in the overlooked spaces where no accelerator syllabus exists to shape it.