Seems to me, a successful "startup"* needs to solve a problem, relieve pain, or create something revolutionary that creates elation/astonishment. It needs to be something the market wants. In other words, it is a great idea. Implementation is a matter of hiring the right tradesmen/tradeswomen to make it happen.
People enjoy paying for what they want; they resent paying for what they need. Ideas uncover 'wants.'
Frank Lloyd Wright. Ideas.
General Patton. Ideas.
Sir Richard Branson. Ideas.
Sun Tzu. Ideas
Clausewitz. Ideas
Edson. Ideas.
Ford. Ideas.
Larry Page. Ideas.
Sometimes, great ideas come from those who implement that idea, sometimes the ideas come from those outside the industry. Either way, it's the idea that is at the center of the product the market wants.
You say that "implementation is a matter of hiring the right tradesmen/tradeswomen", then you go on to list a whole bunch of people who implemented their own ideas. Thomas Edison didn't just have the idea for a lightbulb, he invented it. Henry Ford personally built his first car as a personal project. Sir Richard Branson got started selling records from the "boot" of his car. Larry Page personally co-developed Page Rank.
I'm not sure how the military commanders (or Frank Lloyd Wright) fit into this, but every entrepreneur you listed was very much a "technical founder".
People enjoy paying for what they want; they resent paying for what they need. Ideas uncover 'wants.'
Frank Lloyd Wright. Ideas. General Patton. Ideas. Sir Richard Branson. Ideas. Sun Tzu. Ideas Clausewitz. Ideas Edson. Ideas. Ford. Ideas. Larry Page. Ideas.
Sometimes, great ideas come from those who implement that idea, sometimes the ideas come from those outside the industry. Either way, it's the idea that is at the center of the product the market wants.
* Startup: launch of a web-based application.