This seems like a good incubator but the title is way off.
An incubator's value is much more complex than (dollars) + (office square feet) - (equity %). Ask almost any successful founder from an incubator such as YC or DreamIt, and they'll tell you the equity percentage is easily worth the benefit. In fact, the percentage can easily increase the total value of the company.
When Paul Graham/Ron Conway/Yuri Milner are financially motivated to see you do well, the intros and connections these guys make are priceless. Just see how Paul Graham went to bat for AirBnb when he tried to get Fred Wilson to invest.
I agree completely. It completely underplays the value of the individual VCs and overplays the Lightspeed VC brand name.
When you get into YC, you know you are going to be working directly with people like PG, Harj, Garry, Alexis, Robert M., Paul, Jennifer, and Trevor.
With this Lightspeed VC deal, they just tell you that you get two partners advising you. You don't know which two. You don't know if they are VCs by trade. You don't know if they were former entrepreneurs. You don't know if they happen to be an Entrepreneur in Residence or Designer in Residence. These details matter and matter a lot.
I think the best incubators and angels are those that emphasize people over money. People execute. Money just keeps those people fed and housed.
An incubator's value is much more complex than (dollars) + (office square feet) - (equity %). Ask almost any successful founder from an incubator such as YC or DreamIt, and they'll tell you the equity percentage is easily worth the benefit. In fact, the percentage can easily increase the total value of the company.
When Paul Graham/Ron Conway/Yuri Milner are financially motivated to see you do well, the intros and connections these guys make are priceless. Just see how Paul Graham went to bat for AirBnb when he tried to get Fred Wilson to invest.