Indispensible & Obvious Technology Trends – #4 in the Nasty 6-Pack for Digital Entrepreneurs

This is part 4 of a 6-part series where I discuss a set of start/build/exit best practices for digital entrepreneurs.

The first part addressed the processes and people that surround the start/build/exitprocess. The second part was about the players, the entrepreneurs, investors, investment bankers and lawyers. The third part was about pitching, valuing and funding.

This part is about what digital entrepreneurs must know about technology trends and opportunities – their wheelhouse. Digital entrepreneurs should – and almost always do – have a firmer grasp on technology trends and opportunities than investors, lawyers and investment bankers. But that’s a low bar, since investor expertise usually falls into other areas.

So let’s summarize the trends areas that should roll off the tip of every entrepreneur’s tongue. If you fail this tongue-rolling exercise, it’s time to turn in your entrepreneurial badge.

There are at least three levels of technology understanding. The first is about macro trends and trajectories. The second is about enabling technology trends, the technologies that power the macro trends. The third level is about M&A activity.

Here are five technology trends worth tracking: data analytics, automated reasoning, security/privacy, natural interfaces and customer segmentation – all necessary for ubiquitous personal/professional transaction processing – and therefore indicative of future innovative and entrepreneurial opportunities.

[“Source-forbes”]