Trend Hunter leads the search for the "next big thing"

Jeremy Gutsche wins BDC's Young Entrepreneur Award for Ontario

TORONTO, May 3 /CNW Telbec/ - Innovation enthusiast Jeremy Gutsche is the brains behind TrendHunter.com, the world's largest trend-spotting website. Fueled by a global network of 40,000 contributors, this web platform has attracted more than 500 million total views and covers trends in pop culture, technology and fashion.

Jeremy, 32, author, keynote speaker and co-host of Trend Hunter TV, is Ontario's Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) 2011 Young Entrepreneur Award winner, and will be honoured tonight at a gala in Saskatoon. "We are putting Canada on the map in the world of innovation and new ideas," says Jeremy, who started Trend Hunter in 2005. "We are about 30 times larger than the closest competitor in the trend-spotting online world, and there's so much more that we can do."

Trend Hunter's crowd sourcing and crowd filtering technologies enable up to 40,000 people to contribute articles, which are then efficiently rated and edited. Some contributors become "regulars" who benefit from the opportunity to gain visibility in their own right. One of Trend Hunter's recent initiatives is identifying patterns in the data it receives and packaging that information as Trend Hunter Pro Trend Reports. "We sell reports to companies such as Google, Microsoft, eBay and Pepsi, and they use them to kick-start innovation on their own teams," says Jeremy.

Jeremy also takes his message on the road. He has appeared as keynote speaker at more than 180 events in the last three years and done more than 200 media interviews.

Searching for the big idea
An entrepreneur from a young age, who mowed lawns and ran a college painting franchise, Jeremy had always wanted to start his own business, but wasn't sure what field to pursue. After obtaining an MBA and working as head of innovation at a major bank, he started looking for a business idea of his own and set up Trend Hunter for inspiration. "Trend Hunter itself became my idea," he says. "I was so passionate about it that it grew to a place where other people come to find their business ideas."

Trend Hunter also incorporates innovation into its business environment, running a paperless office and providing a paid internship to 15 students per year in web 2.0. This training enables the interns to build a portfolio and gain work experience in an innovative field.

When Jeremy was in college, he obtained a student loan from BDC to run a student painting franchise. "Getting that funding was an extraordinary opportunity and gave me the confidence to run a business," he says. "It's cool to be recognized by BDC 10 years later for having achieved something else as an entrepreneur."

"Jeremy's energy and enthusiasm for innovation are contagious," says BDC President and CEO Jean-René Halde. "He has created a business that is, in itself, a trend setter. He inspires people worldwide to turn creative ideas into business reality."

About BDC's Young Entrepreneur Awards
Created by the Business Development Bank of Canada in 1988, the Young Entrepreneur Awards pay tribute to successful Canadian entrepreneurs between 19 and 35 years of age. YEA winners are recognized for their business prowess, creativity, innovative spirit and community involvement. The BDC 2011 Young Entrepreneur Awards are sponsored by Deloitte, Cisco, BLG, Sage and The Globe and Mail.

About BDC
As Canada's business development bank, BDC puts entrepreneurs first. With nearly 1,900 employees and more than 100 business centres across the country, BDC offers financing, venture capital and consulting services to 29,000 small and medium-sized companies. Their success is vital to Canada's economic prosperity. www.bdc.ca

For further information:

Maria Constantinescu
Advisor, Media Relations
Business Development Bank of Canada
514-518-1577 (cell)
1-888-683-0485 (media room in Saskatoon)
[e-mail]

Geoffrey King
Director, Public Relations
Business Development Bank of Canada
514-496-4351
[e-mail]