I think that a startups Core Values are pretty important and say quite a bit about that particular company. Whether these values are stated or a given is a direct extension of the "company culture" thats at that particular startup. Core Values can vary widely, but I think it's pretty universal that most hackers are looking for a fun place to work and interesting/challenging things to work on. If a startup isn't offering at least that, then no list of positive character traits paraded as "Core Values" can save them