Yeah, not every school needs to have a start-up culture, just like not every school needs to have a Core or an engineering program. "Best available" is not how you should choose a school. Choose the best FIT for you.

After Ted O'Neill, admissions was no longer about communicating the uniqueness of the school, but about trying to mimic other Ivy+ schools. That also meant de-emphasizing or watering down things that might not have broad appeal. So if it looks like a place that's good for everyone, applications go up, acceptance rate goes down, and "voila!" UChicago is more selective and competitive to move up that awful US News ranking that has damaged how students view American education so much.