Tech Trailblazers are back bigger and better than ever Award Categories News Posted by Jon Howell | 01/07/2020 Back for its ninth edition, the Tech Trailblazers Awards are now open for entries. Innovative enterprise IT startups from around the globe can enter now at: www.techtrailblazers.com. This year sees the Awards coming back bigger and better than ever, with even more tempting reasons for startups to get the recognition that can be so valuable in gaining customers and investment. Not only will entrants get valuable experience and exposure to the influential and knowledgable panelists who judge the awards, they will also have the opportunity to be interviewed for the Founders on Fire podcast. Check out some of the previous episodes at: Founders on Fire. Lightning Talks In another first for the Tech Trailblazers Awards, companies that are shortlisted for any category will be given the opportunity to present a lightning talk to the judges. These short presentations are a great way for a firm that’s starting out to distill their message and refine their ideas, invaluable preparation for making those pitches to investors. But don’t just take out word for how crucial entering for an award can be. Here are a couple of comments made by previous entrants: “Winning a reputable award in the industry doesn’t do unnoticed by investors, it doesn’t go unnoticed by customers.” – Evan Blair, Co-Founder & VP Global Channel Sales, ZeroFox (winner 2014 Security Trailblazers Award) “With awards be bold, don’t judge yourself out before you go ahead and enter.” – Justin Day, CEO, Cloud Gateway (winner 2018 Cloud Trailblazers Award) “Although it seems like it’s just a vanity thing, awards and recognition really, really matter.” – Nathan Burke, CMO, Axonius (runner-up 2019 Security Trailblazers Award) and initiator of cybersecuritycares.org This year has already seen big news for two of our alumni with Zscaler, our 2013 Security Trailblazers winner, successfully acquiring our 2017 Cloud Trailblazers winner, Edgewise Networks, for an undisclosed sum. A good example of how previous entrants have gone on to achieve success on the back of wins at the Tech Trailblazers Awards. All entrants to the Awards get the chance to present their technology to some of the IT industry’s eminent influencers from around the world. The extensive judging panel reflects the Tech Trailblazers’ pioneering “community spirit” approach to enterprise IT awards. The details & Early Bird entry The Tech Trailblazers Awards celebrate innovation in the following enterprise IT areas: AI, big data, blockchain, cloud, developer tools, fintech, IoT, mobile technology, networking, security, and storage. There are also categories for female and male CxO of the year and a special category called the Firestarter Trailblazers Award which is for non-VC-backed startups that are two-year-old or younger where the entry fee is covered by a bursary and therefore free to enter. The early-bird submission fee is $250 with a deadline of August 4th at 11:59pm PT which goes up to the full price of $345 afterwards. Entry forms should be submitted before the final closing date of September 11th for consideration by the expert panel. This year also sees the introduction of a streamlined, online entry process which is powered by Judgify. This makes it easier than ever to work on your entry whenever and wherever it suits you. For more information and to enter the Tech Trailblazers Awards 2020, please visit www.techtrailblazers.com. To be added to the mailing list to receive the latest updates, please email innovate@techtrailblazers.com or sign up on the website www.techtrailblazers.com. Follow the Tech Trailblazers Awards on Twitter @techtrailblaze or using hashtag #TTAwards.