I've always felt academics and entrepreneurs are really cut from the same ilk.

As entrepreneurs, we try to increase the overall wealth of the economy and if we are able to push it out by a little, we've succeeded. In the same way, academics are trying to increase the boundary of human knowledge and if they are able to contribute something new and unique to their field, they be considered to be successful.

However, once in a while, an entrepreneur/academic makes a complete earth shattering business/discovery that takes the game to a whole new level. Think Facebook and Newtonian laws for examples.