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 [email protected] to be notified as soon as the awards are open to entries.