Our startup was recently accepted into YC’s fall batch. A few days in, I’ve made the difficult decision to step back before the batch begins due to personal reasons—mainly wanting to continue a focused period of personal development I’d committed to before applying.

My cofounders are continuing with the company and plan to stay in the batch. I’m wondering: Will this affect my own reputation if I apply to YC again in the future? And will my departure hurt the company’s standing or eligibility in the current batch?

I have a substantial amount of equity (~20%) which is still unvested so my departure won’t hurt the company’s equity structure. I’m not the only technical founder either.

Would really appreciate insights from anyone who’s been through this or knows how YC views these situations.