Easily: by being incented to take bigger risks than they need to, or to over-commit to things.
I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm saying you're doing something wrong. You're not. It's just how it works. It was the "burn the bridges" line that nudged me to write this comment.
by being incented to take bigger risks than they need to, or to over-commit to things
But that would increase their own value as well. YC and WePay are in this together, there's never really a situation where something is good/bad for one and not for the other.
Not necessarily, if YC benefits from high-valuation liquidity events and no so much from continued, steady operating returns on a standalone business.
I understand that things are blurrier with YC than they are with VC firms in general. I know about and admire Wufoo. I know Graham has repeatedly stated how happy he is with the Wufoo outcome. I can see plain as day the network effect YC has created with the large number of operating businesses it has started and with its (even larger) alumni network. I am not picking on YC with this comment.
I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm saying you're doing something wrong. You're not. It's just how it works. It was the "burn the bridges" line that nudged me to write this comment.