Y Combinator is strictly for college kids. The restriction is based not on age, but on money. Older people are implicitly excluded because they can't afford to give up their income to pursue a startup. Wife, kids and a mortgage cost money.
As a result, I think the Y Combinator startup market is only a fraction of what it could be, if older founders could be included. I imagine there would be so many more and different ideas than what we currently see.
I think a Y Combinator-like incubator, that provides enough funding for older founders, would thrive. If funding was in the range of say 70K to 90K per founder, many more companies could be started. And really, that's still not a lot of money for the VC/Angel/Incubator industry. It wouldn't take too many hits to make a profit for the funders with these numbers.
Despite what the original post says, Y Combinator is implicitly intended for college-age kids. And that's fine. But think of how many more opportunities there could be for both Y Combinator and founders, if the funding available could support older people.
As a result, I think the Y Combinator startup market is only a fraction of what it could be, if older founders could be included. I imagine there would be so many more and different ideas than what we currently see.
I think a Y Combinator-like incubator, that provides enough funding for older founders, would thrive. If funding was in the range of say 70K to 90K per founder, many more companies could be started. And really, that's still not a lot of money for the VC/Angel/Incubator industry. It wouldn't take too many hits to make a profit for the funders with these numbers.
Despite what the original post says, Y Combinator is implicitly intended for college-age kids. And that's fine. But think of how many more opportunities there could be for both Y Combinator and founders, if the funding available could support older people.