"Man I wasted a lot of effort but thank goodness it wasn't needed after all!" is the thing that would have rung true to the "good faith" vibe.
Unfortunately, many times the effort cannot be put to good use (like here) or worse causes harm to the primary actor(s).
In my books, anyone who moves to make or tries to solve problems deserves respect, irrespective of the outcome.
There are too few of these people in the world.
Many, maybe most, of us don't have either the skills, connections, or the free time necessary to do it in. I think this is what the OP meant by "once in a lifetime opportunity", in that it is once in his lifetime.
You would have been a hero. It's disappointing when an amazing idea, thrillingly fast and good execution, and the dream of being like a more ethical JP Morgan to the startup world falls through. I can imagine what it might have been like, the ideas and feelings you had must have been even stronger.