Is an added business value mandatory for a good product?

(More questions, fewer answers)

We all learned from our economics studies (yes, part of us did) that 
the market works under an added value chain, and that could be 
a baseline for calculating GDP as a tool.
Following my remarks while judging the finals on the Netcraft Academy UX course, this matter concerned me.
Do we have to think about a business value every time we planing a new digital product? Is it mandatory for “community products”? Do we have a model for creating a “non-business” digital product that works not only in entrepreneurs’ dreams?
Besides projects funded by GOV or other public organizations, can we succeed with a product that doesn’t show business value? 
This is problematic.
Even though we would like to help other people with our products, we must

Am I right on this point, or could we have an additional perspective?
Don’t hesitate to write down your opinion in response to this post!