Although definitely very helpful to YC folks (YCS12 here), I do find it kind of funny that YC-preferred funds have emerged, since they introduce the same biases YC was meant to remove.

It's a natural process, and there is no such thing as not being biased (as it is a bias in itself), but the signaling of being part of YC is definitely huge, especially first time, and for outside of the Bay.

Investors are people too.