I hate the macho startup cliche as much as you. 100 hour weeks don't help a startup - they hurt - and it's never a good idea to dig a hole deeper than you can get out of.

But if you count your own time, which is worth AT LEAST $20/hour (if not $100), then you aren't going to get very far if you're only willing to commit $1000. Even if you don't count your own time, many opportunities require significantly more than $1K.

Success in a startup comes from tenacity more than anything else. If you aren't willing to make a real commitment (as the GP was suggesting), you're setting yourself up to fail.