great strides in general science and math inspire me more than startup companies. space travel, deep ocean exploration, etc..

i'm a fans of some startups, but i don't think thats the same as inspiration.

the only exception, i think, is the inspirational kick in the pants you get when someone sells their company and gets rich or reaps some other type of reward/recognition and you think to yourself "i thought of that three years ago!" or somesuch. really makes you want to get out there and innovate.