Online research will reveal the challenges and opportunities for startups in big data, cloud, mobile, networking, security, storage, sustainable IT and virtualization
London, UK - Thursday, 15th May 2014 - The only independent global enterprise tech startup awards, the Tech Trailblazers, today announced the start of its research program to look at the challenges faced by, and the opportunities available to, the enterprise technology startup community around the world.

The research, which will run online until May 30th, will explore regional expansion, funding, marketing, sales and channel strategy, recruitment and other key trends within this vibrant and exciting part of the startup space. All participants will be entered into a prize draw to win tickets to upcoming 2014 GigaOM events, Prezi licences and of course the most sought after prize - a Tech Trailblazers t-shirt. Eligible entrants will also receive a $50 discount off the entry fees as a thank you for participating. A copy of the executive summary of the research will be made available to all who enter. To participate, complete the online survey here - www.techtrailblazers.com - before the 30th May deadline.
Rose Ross, Founder of the Tech Trailblazers Awards added "We invite enterprise tech startups to share their experiences in this first Index. We are already seeing incredible synergy within our alumni community and this is a way to further support past and future entrants. The results will illuminate trends within the ecosystem of key players not just the startups themselves but also the media, the VC, angel, seed and other investment communities. We also want to use this greater understanding to help evolve the Awards to greater support these often unsung startup heroes of enterprise technology."
The winners of this independent innovation award, now entering its third year are determined by votes from an independent judging panel and the public. These pioneering entrepreneurs are then crowned Tech Trailblazers in the categories of Big Data, Cloud, Emerging Markets, Mobile, Networking, Security, Sustainable IT, Storage and Virtualization - recognized as today's front-runners in their chosen field.
Last year's winners were:
Big Data Trailblazers:
Winner
-Parstream (@Parstream), http://www.parstream.com/ - Cologne, Germany
Runners-up
-Cedexis (@Cedexis), http://www.cedexis.com/ - Portland, OR, USA
-Splice Machine (@SpliceMachine), http://www.splicemachine.com/ - San Francisco, CA, USA
Cloud Trailblazers:
Winner
-Nutanix (@Nutanix), http://www.nutanix.com/ - San Jose, CA, USA
Runners-up
-Cloudcheckr (@Cloudcheckr), http://www.cloudcheckr.com/ - Rochester, NY, USA
-Racemi (@Racemi), www.racemi.com - Atlanta, GA, USA
-VMTurbo (@VMTurbo), http://www.vmturbo.com/ - Burlington, MA, USA
Emerging Markets Trailblazers:
Winner
- Ideacentric (@Ideacentric), http://www.ideacentricglobal.com/ - Lagos, Nigeria
Runners-up
-ERPScan (@ERPScan), http://www.erpscan.com/ - St Petersburg, Russia
-PharmaSecure (@PharmaSecure) http://www.pharmasecure.com/ - New Delhi, India
Mobile Trailblazers:
Winner
-PharmaSecure (@PharmaSecure) http://www.pharmasecure.com/ - New Delhi, India
Runners-up
-Appthority (@Appthority), http://www.appthority.com/ - San Francisco, CA, USA
-MobileSpan (@MobileSpan), http://www.mobilespan.com/ - Santa Clara, CA, USA
Networking Trailblazers:
Winner
-Aryaka (@AryakaNetworks), http://www.aryaka.com/ - Milpitas, CA, USA
Runners-up
-Qwilt (@Qwilt), http://www.qwilt.com/ - Redwood City, CA, USA
-Racktivity (@Racktivity), http://www.racktivity.com/ - Lochristi, Belgium
Security Trailblazers:
Winner
Zscaler (@Zscaler), http://www.zscaler.com/ - San Jose, CA, USA
Runners-up
-SecludIT (@elasticsecurity) http://www.secludit.com/ - Sophia Antipolis, France
-Ventisys (@Ventisys), http://www.ventisys.com/ - Sligo, Republic of Ireland
Storage Trailblazers:
Winner
-PernixData (@PernixData) http://www.pernixdata.com/ - San Jose, CA, USA
Runners-up
-Avere Systems (@AvereSystems), http://www.averesystems.com/ - Pittsburgh, PA, USA
-Tarmin (@Tarmin101) http://www.tarmin.com/ - Boston, MA, USA
Sustainable IT Trailblazers:
Winner
-Iceotope (@Iceotope), http://www.iceotope.com/ -Sheffield, UK
Runners-up
-Racktivity (@Racktivity), http://www.racktivity.com/ - Lochristi, Belgium
-GreenQloud (@GreenQloud), http://www.greenqloud.com/ - Reykjavik, Iceland
Virtualization Trailblazers:
Winner
-VMTurbo (@VMTurbo), http://www.vmturbo.com/ - Burlington, MA, USA
Runners-up
-GridStore (@GridStore), http://www.gridstore.com/ - Mountain View, CA, USA
-PernixData (@PernixData) http://www.pernixdata.com/ - San Jose, CA, USA
The Tech Trailblazers Awards Third Edition will open to entries later this Summer. Please email innovate@techtrailblazers.com to be notified as soon as the awards are open to entries.
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Notes to editors:
An executive summary of the research findings will be available upon request. Please contact Rosalind Carr at Omarketing to receive your copy when it becomes available in June.
Media Contacts
For Tech Trailblazers Awards
Rosalind Carr
Omarketing
UK: +44 (0)208 255 5225
US: +1 781 519 0275
rosalind@omarketing.com
www.twitter.com/Rosalind_at_O
About the Tech Trailblazers Awards
http://www.techtrailblazers.com/ @techtrailblaze
Tech Trailblazers is a new concept in awards, designed explicitly for smaller businesses and startups that are five years old or less and at C-series funding or below. The awards have low barriers to entry and prizes that not only recognize startup innovation, but also proactively help startups grow their businesses with access to exclusive coaching, mentoring and development and prizes. The awards include the following categories:
- Big Data Trailblazers
- Cloud Trailblazers
- Emerging Markets Trailblazers
- Mobile Trailblazers
- Networking Trailblazers
- Security Trailblazers
- Storage Trailblazers
- Sustainable IT Trailblazers
- Virtualization Trailblazers
In addition to the above categories, all entrants are automatically entered into the Regional Trailblazers Cup competition free of charge. The Regional Cups will be announced at the end of November and the individual Cups are:
- African and Middle East Trailblazers Cup
- Asian-Pacific Trailblazers Cup
- European Trailblazers Cup
- Latin American Trailblazers Cup
- North American Trailblazers Cup
The Tech Trailblazers Awards prize fund, projected to be worth in excess of $1m, is supported by sponsors and industry partners including AfriLabs, Amoo Venture Capital Advisory, beSUCCESS, bnetTV, BigDataStartups, China AXLR8R, the Cloud Security Alliance, Computing, The Data Chain, ExecEvent, GigaOM, The Green Grid, GSMA, The Icehouse, Innovation Warehouse, Launchpad Europe, L'Informaticien, Lissted, MIT/Stanford Venture Lab, Mynewsdesk, The Next Silicon Valley, Outsource, Prezi, RealWire, Seed Forum, Silicon Cape Initiative, Skolkovo, StarTau, Startup America, Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA), Tech in Asia, TechNode, TiE Silicon Valley, Wazoku, Ventureburn and VMware.