It's possible the demographics of the applicant pool did change for Summer 11.
Summer 11 (my batch) was the first to apply AFTER Start Fund (Yuri Milner and SVAngel) announced they'd give $150k to every YC company. This program may have attracted founders who wouldn't have done YC previously.
Summer 11 (my batch) was the first to apply AFTER Start Fund (Yuri Milner and SVAngel) announced they'd give $150k to every YC company. This program may have attracted founders who wouldn't have done YC previously.