Non-profit's exist. And if we're judging whether or not something is a business based on how much profit it's making that would make Silicon Valley the global centre of performance art.
There’s a difference between a non-profit, and not making a profit!
Non profits still try to make as much profit as possible. There are just extra legal restrictions on how money can be spent or extracted from the business.
OP is more interested in hearing about organizations that take on ambitious investment without apparent return in the fight for unicorn status profits in the future, rather than a fight for something non-financial
I think that the non-profits you are referring to are likely not-for-profits.