Many startup ecosystems exist primarily to stimulate the local economy, which can lead to advice that discourages founders from leaving those areas to pursue larger opportunities.

During Y Combinator, founders should prioritize writing code, talking to users, and exercising, avoiding distractions like networking or hiring interns.

If hard tech founders can establish a habit of operating efficiently during Y Combinator, it can lead to long-term success in their ventures.

Many hard tech founders mistakenly believe they need large amounts of funding upfront, but Y Combinator encourages them to think like software companies and find ways to progress with less money.

Many successful founders funded by Y Combinator had little to no online presence in the early stages of their companies, and focusing too much on establishing thought leadership can distract from what truly matters: making your company work.

If you don't want to commit to your startup for a long time, such as only working on it for a summer, then you probably shouldn't apply to Y Combinator.

Remote operations have allowed Y Combinator to widen its net, enabling startups from around the world to participate without relocating to Silicon Valley.

Spending too much time on perfecting your application to Y Combinator is not correlated with success; focusing on your startup's core activities is more beneficial.

Solo founders face challenges in gaining acceptance into Y Combinator, with a noticeable decline in their representation in recent batches.