5 Trends Entrepreneurs Will See in 2013

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Entrepreneurs are in for some big changes in 2013. That’s the prediction of Ingrid Vanderveldt, Dell's "entrepreneur in residence" who works with the Dell Center for Entrepreneurs. Vanderveldt's predictions include:

• Alternative financing strategies: Most businesses are still bootstrapping, but are encouraged by alternative funding options as more borrowers and lenders are getting creative. Crowdfunding (i.e. Kickstarter), peer-to-peer lending sites and Dell Innovators Credit Fund are just a few examples of innovative funding tools increasingly available to business leaders.
• Scalable technology: With the explosion of big data (predicted to increase 43 percent over the next 10 years) and accelerated adoption of the cloud, more and more companies will look to technology as a strategic advantage to scaling successfully. As budgets remain tight, business owners will increasingly look to outside tech vendors to serve as advisers and will expect them to provide IT services and tailored recommendations to meet their specific business needs.
• The human capital problem: One key finding from Dell’s "Go Local" nine-city tour was that entrepreneurs struggle with accessing good talent. A lot can be gained by understanding how to maximize current and potential human capital within a business and extended entrepreneurial ecosystem. Online and in-person networking opportunities have never been so valuable.
• Entrepreneurs are getting younger: Blogging, launching apps, publishing magazines and creating social networks, kids like author Adora Svitak, 15, and app-builder Robert Nay, 16, have created empires before they hit college. In light of this growing trend, Dell will sponsor this year’s Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) and support millennial entrepreneurship at CGI U 2013, providing students with opportunities to learn about the multifaceted risks and opportunities involved with launching, running and growing a business.
• Social entrepreneurship: The concept of doing well by doing good has caught fire in a time where economic, social and environmental sustainability are more meaningful than ever.  Strong focus on positive social and environmental impact has spurred contests, scholarships and even best business practices to be centered around the concept of giving to a global community.

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