I don't think startups can really be considered innovative in the way that the article is talking about. Certainly startups can have very creative products, but

I don't think startups can really be considered innovative in the way that the article is talking about. Certainly startups can have very creative products, but in the end they almost always apply existing technology, whereas the article is more concerned with actually advancing science, engineering, or the arts. That's not to say that startups are unimportant, just that I don't think anyone would argue it makes sense to replace all research labs with startups. Startups are focused on making money, whereas research is focused with progress in human knowledge.