It seems that a lot of applicants didn't have their demo sites looked at. This together with what I've seen on PG's Office Hour videos leads me to believe that YC is somewhat idea-centric: if we like your idea, we'll look at your potential for execution. Else, you're out. Needless to say, there is nothing wrong with that. If that method works for YC in terms of success rate vs. time and effort spent, then that's how they should be doing it. Still, it might be worth considering the following example. Suppose that 25 years ago, someone would have come to you with this idea: I'll start a furniture store chain. But instead of shipping the furniture to people's homes, I'll give them a cardboard box with the pieces, a couple of nuts and bolts, and a wrench inside. There can be little doubt as to how that idea would have been rated: ludicrous. But if you had visited a model store and looked at all the neat furniture, not to mention the fancy bedspreads and tableware and what not, then took home a chair in pieces, assembled it, sat in it... You may not have predicted that there were going to be newspaper headlines like "IKEA will continue to hire off-duty Sheriff's deputies to help with traffic control for several more weeks." But you may well have predicted some measure of success for this offbeat idea.