Personally, I am totally ok with this. If "start-up culture" means 20 days of PTO, free meals, free gym, a ton of other perks, I would care less about the year end dollar amount. Perhaps that's just me though.
It's easy to get lured into the excitement of working in a "start-up culture" but you will recognize the red flags after one has sucked you dry without adding much to your finances.