The entrepreneur that "dreams big" is the exception. And people with entrepreneurial aspirations are themselves exceptions. I think I read an article in the NY Times a while back that over 70% of MIT students are interested in business, and that 30% or so take a stab at it.
Over here in Europe many college kids subscribe to the "profit is evil" philosophy and starting a business is "something they maybe want to do some day".
What exactly is wrong with this?
The marginal value of money decreases significantly once you have enough to live comfortably.
Also big companies aren't an end in themselves; a thriving economy full of profitable small-to-medium businesses is not a bad thing.
Needless to say, if you're a VC you want to fund people who want to create a company that can get a big exit. And people with those aspirations are few and far between in Europe.
So, I'd be willing to bet that the referenced companies are still trying to figure out what they're really going to build. Don't blame the employees, this is the job of management.
I could be wrong of course. Are there companies that are growing rapidly that have problems motivating employees?