This is a huge advantage for small startups that I hope others are realizing. As programmers or hardware hackers, we can make something of value to other people but there might be difficulties in selling it to them (not even in the monetary sense, just adoption). The YC funded teams have become a network in itself to help you get some momentum and spread word of your new creation. And everyone uses everyone else's stuff. It's just cool.

I was visiting Crystal Towers yesterday and, well, YC really needs to just buy that whole complex.