I love this mentality about YC, but I'm curious: if you had unlimited resources to build any kind of environment you want, is it possible to build a space you would support YC founders working out of, even just post-YC but pre-Series A? We didn't want to work out of our apartment when we got our first hire, and had to go to an office space, since we wanted privacy that most coworking spaces didn't offer.
I agree about the need to build you own culture, etc, but there are some undeniable benefits to being near other YC startups and sharing resources such as a kitchen (which seems pretty rare in a ~5 person closed-off office space) or food delivery. The YScraper in SF does seem to be pretty popular for this stage, but I imagine there's a better hypothetical option.
The limited resource is not money but attention. We could raise much more money than we do now. But if we got into the real estate business, we'd have to have people to oversee it, which would change both the size and character of YC.
Plus we have no particular expertise in real estate. We have some insight about what startups need, but I suspect it is more than counterbalanced by our ignorance of real estate. It's better if we stick to what we're good at.
I agree about the need to build you own culture, etc, but there are some undeniable benefits to being near other YC startups and sharing resources such as a kitchen (which seems pretty rare in a ~5 person closed-off office space) or food delivery. The YScraper in SF does seem to be pretty popular for this stage, but I imagine there's a better hypothetical option.