This resonates with my recent experience. I got bored of the 9 to 5. My job was alright, sometimes fun even. But last Wednesday I woke up and just couldn't do it. So I quit and started working on my own project.
When it's repeated a thousand times, it starts sounding like a cliche, but it is true - life is short. Do something which fulfills you.
So no, there's nothing particularly grand about making money. That's not what makes startups worth the trouble. What's important about startups is the speed. By compressing the dull but necessary task of making a living into the smallest possible time, you show respect for life, and there is something grand about that.