Comment by throwaway13337

The answer to the question of 'where the non-conformist tech nerds hang out' is almost too obvious.

It's where the money isn't.

There's a lot of cool stuff that isn't obviously a path to money. The blender community is full of it, for instance.

YC isn't a part of that because YC is primarily concerned with making money.

This isn't a very satisfying answer because it does not lead to investment and money but that's kinda the point.