The smartest entrepreneurs don’t emulate trends — they set them. In 2013, with both rapid technological advances (NFC, anyone?) and policy changes on the horizon, startup founders are looking ahead to figure out how, and where, to position their offerings so they can see the biggest wins.

Specifically, they’re looking to capitalize on emerging industries and technologies that will shape the way we do business in the future.

We asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only nonprofit organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs, the following question to find out where, in 2013, the biggest opportunities can be found:

“What is one industry that is going to become the “it” business in 2013 and why?”

Here’s what YEC community members had to say:

1. Education

“We’re getting to a point where old models of education are crumbling, and people are demanding flexible, lower-cost ways to access empowering information. Both independently-offered online courses and startups such as Udemy are poised to fill the gap for people who value self-sufficiency and who aren’t prepared to spend years in a classroom just to gain some new skills.” ~ Amanda Aitken, The Girl’s Guide to Web Design

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