I've just finished building a structured light scanner and its quite quick (a few hundred milliseconds). That still means the person has to be willing and still though. Building an accurate 3D model passively and discretely of unsuspecting people is quite a bit beyond the technology I've seen.
If you've got an established business and you need funding to go to the next level YC isn't right for you. That's when you need VC investment. If you've got nothing and you want some cash to build that very first version then YC probably makes good sense. Starting up in your spare time has a fairly low probability of success and maxing out your credit card is fairly high risk. Additionally a more thoroughly developed product after YC funding is likely to give away less equity if further VC investments are required.
The real benefit isn't 'contacts' as everyone here has dismissed, but the involvement and personal investment of experienced people. Another benefit of a low valuation is that your company doesn't have to become the next google for the investors to get a return on their money. This means they won't be pushing you to take the ridiculous long shot options if you don't want to.
I think its far too easy to see equity as a precious resource to horde, sometimes you have to realize owning a smaller piece of a bigger pie is preferable.
We regularly intervene on the human body, a very complicated system. Often these interventions have side-effects (sometimes requiring further interventions) but the side-effect/intervention process doesnt neccesarily cascade out of control. The stakes might be bigger with the environment, but the whole "you can't touch the environment, it'll spiral out of control" seems to be an item of faith rather than based on specific evidence.
Your assuming that if model takes off that google will be the only provider. I can see this as a more viable version of the net harddrives that failed a few years ago, and that spawned plenty of competing providers.
Slashdot Mirror
I've just finished building a structured light scanner and its quite quick (a few hundred milliseconds). That still means the person has to be willing and still though. Building an accurate 3D model passively and discretely of unsuspecting people is quite a bit beyond the technology I've seen.
If you've got an established business and you need funding to go to the next level YC isn't right for you. That's when you need VC investment. If you've got nothing and you want some cash to build that very first version then YC probably makes good sense. Starting up in your spare time has a fairly low probability of success and maxing out your credit card is fairly high risk. Additionally a more thoroughly developed product after YC funding is likely to give away less equity if further VC investments are required. The real benefit isn't 'contacts' as everyone here has dismissed, but the involvement and personal investment of experienced people. Another benefit of a low valuation is that your company doesn't have to become the next google for the investors to get a return on their money. This means they won't be pushing you to take the ridiculous long shot options if you don't want to. I think its far too easy to see equity as a precious resource to horde, sometimes you have to realize owning a smaller piece of a bigger pie is preferable.
We regularly intervene on the human body, a very complicated system. Often these interventions have side-effects (sometimes requiring further interventions) but the side-effect/intervention process doesnt neccesarily cascade out of control. The stakes might be bigger with the environment, but the whole "you can't touch the environment, it'll spiral out of control" seems to be an item of faith rather than based on specific evidence.
Sue the internet? What is this magical internet, if its online its probably being served by a ISP who can give over your information.
Your assuming that if model takes off that google will be the only provider. I can see this as a more viable version of the net harddrives that failed a few years ago, and that spawned plenty of competing providers.
Time and Classical Quantum Mechanics: Indeterminacy vs. Discontinuity