I understood it to be, locally, the most exiciting thing happening at the moment. Shipping a great product (ie creating wealth) might be more exiting overall, but for a given week raising money is a lot more exciting than fixing bugs.

Also I think for some people, the novelty and change of pace is exciting. I've been coding for 20 years and love it, but have never had anyone invest money in a company I own. That unfamiliar situation is far more likely to get my adrenaline pumping, especially if the stakes are high.