You used YC's connections. You applied were accepted and now are part of that network.
Leveraging YC's rep for selection is one way to break in. You were part of the lucky 1% who make it through the program from application to funding,congrats!
It's not the lucky 1%, it's the carefully selected 1%.
The other 99% is where the random rejection component amounts to more like "bad luck".
IOW good luck on its own isn't even enough, but bad luck can set you back years.
And since there's realistically at least another 2% out of the 99 who would have been equally performant if there was actually room for them to be accepted, the greatest pool of most promising candidates are among those whom have been the most unlucky.
Leveraging YC's rep for selection is one way to break in. You were part of the lucky 1% who make it through the program from application to funding,congrats!
An aside.. How did the company do?