So why is op trying to publish?
Once the business is making money it’s not really a startup any more, it’s a going concern.
OP is an undergrad student. Attracting attention is what will make them stand out. And sharing research at this stage will probably expose them to research others don’t want to publish but do want to share with other researchers.
Investors with money.
What are investors who don’t have money?
Perhaps I should have said investors and speculators, but this doesn’t help you here.
OP's startup is publishing because they think there's an economic advantage to doing so. That's not good or bad; it just is.
Very, very few things in the tech world are done "just because". Even fewer things when we're talking about AI being developed in the US. For better or for worse, the leadership in that segment of our field has established profit motive as their god.
Quite reductionist.
But I don't disagree.
To rephrase it more bluntly: the difference between normal business and a modern startup is that between a cow bred for milking vs. a pig bred for slaughter.