I have a thing with numbers, actually keep hundreds of product prices and differences from store to store in my head, updating the db when I shop 1-2 times per week. And yes I know it's an illness:- that comes from bootstrappin' startups...
I recognize your observations and would like to add one called "decision management training" as I tend to use less and less time at decision making in the store as it's known territory which on the other end give me more time into researching unknown ares of course:)

In most cases when I analyze why sw/hw companies are started, I wonder why they do it at all. They obviously haven't been doing any competitive intel analysis and run of with the ideas they think was so unique that they didn't see that it was an obvious next step for one of the big kahunas. Soon they stand with nothing but facing huge competition and that's when 95% fold down.
So I must say that we should encourage more entrepreneurs to go straight at the big ones core or semi-core biz, with newer, better and as you so correctly state; faster and leaner methods and tech. My question to you Romil is if you see any new wave of bold startups coming or if most ones are trying to grow in the shadow of others?

I sign these words, be a real friend to as many people as you can, one day you wake up and realize that the ones you connected with years ago are the ones you need to ask for a favor right now; and yes deeper pockets think the same...

I actually thought that this was how everyone started their first startup, but you got a point, there's probably thousands out there that doesn't know how to use their network to get things done.

I think that you with your knowledge would benefit from doing this with yourself as host, online, with the help of some online video service:-