NoSQL might be hype. Let's get specific. Cassandra eliminates the SQL database single point of failure and hard to replace masters via a lose sync, "eventually consistent" protocol.

Is there some startup offering a web service that doesn't need that?

And have you ever tried to deploy an SQL database capable of thousands of miles apart syncing?

Eventually consistent is quite a different model than ACID. If you accept that, and accept that you can't rely on networks to always be up, you'll live comfortably and cost effectively.