black;”>, and California.â€
He adds that some growth areas to watch out for are bio-energy and biomaterials harvested from waste streams and dedicated energy crops such as algae used for biodiesel.
Telecom: 1 trillion and growing
With the amount of sensitive data exchanged over the Internet via phones and computers, ancillary opportunities for entrepreneurs who provide security products and services is in demand.
Grant Seiffert, president of the Arlington, Virginia-based Telecommunications Industry Association, projects increased demand for the construction and installation of advanced communications networks, saying, “The need to carry voice, video, and data over broadband and wireless means that all the companies that manufacture, deliver, install, and service these products either for the enterprise or for the home have a shot at being successful.â€
Rob Ayoub, a network security manager and analyst with the growth consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, cites on-the-job security training, assessments and audits, scam identification, data protection/encryption services, and improved teleconferencing security products as avenues for new businesses. He also believes that the Internet and increased demands for wireless functionality are blurring the distinction between phone and computer.
There are additional opportunities for providing media and entertainment content on mobile platforms, says Emily Mendell, vice president of strategic affairs at the National Venture Capital Association. “You can’t have 20 different Facebooks,†Mendell says, “but there are opportunities for consumer-driven content, such as online gaming, fitness, lifestyle, and similar services.â€
“You don’t personally have to be the expert to connect yourself to an opportunity. You can connect yourself with someone else who has the expertise you need,†says Darrin Redus, chief economic inclusion officer at Jumpstart Inc., a Cleveland-based venture development firm that prepares entrepreneurs to present their ideas to venture capitalists. “There’s a whole new technology revolution taking place now and, at minimum, learning how to support these industries is a great