Comment by krallistic

Start-ups deliver something much more complicated/different than these research projects.

If the whole research project at the end actually delivers a somewhat coherent prototype, it's seen as a huge success.

Most start-ups start with a proof-of-concept prototype to transform it into an economically viable product.

So, comparing these success rates does not make sense. Multiple research groups can deliver rough prototypes at the end and celebrate their "huge success". In most fields, there can be only a few economically surviving startups...