• Vaughn Jereaux , The Vaughn Jereaux Collection
  Back when he studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology, a professor told Jereaux he was more fit to design for another company, rather than his own. Despite such advice, Jereaux used his namesake and a $20,000 cash prize to start his own line of custom-made cocktail, evening, and special occasion dresses. Then, in November, he would earn another prize of vindication. An expert panel of judges – featuring Def Jam’s Russell Simmons and Ernst and Young’s Dan Valerio – picked 25-year-old Jereaux as their favorite fashion entrepreneur in The Race to BE competition. This time, the cash prize totaled $50,000.
• Janice Maasaoud , Under the Nile
  Q: What would inspire readers of Esquire, a men’s magazine, to seek out Under the Nile, a baby and young children’s clothing company? A: Organic Egyptian cotton, used not only in the clothing, but also in what the magazine deemed “the best blanket in the world.” Maasaoud first sought out to source organic cotton ten years ago, after discovering her children’s allergies to harmful pesticides, toxins and dyes. The company has since expanded to offer toys, cloth diapers, and gift baskets – making it one of the most well-known companies sourcing organic materials.
• Mark Zuckerberg , Facebook
  Google may have taken over the Internet this year, but there still remains one online territory that it could not penetrate – social networking. With over 100 million users registered in August, Zuckerberg’s Facebook more so became a face-to-face competitor when, earlier this month, it released its business “Connect” platform the same day Google launched its own. Like Netscape Navigator creator Marc Andreessen with Internet browsers, Zuckerberg may not have created the first social networking Web site – but he certainly stands as one, if not the most prominent player in his field. (After all, is it a coincidence that Andreessen also serves on Facebook’s board of directors? Probably not.)
• Kurt O’Brien , Simply Self Storage
  With 229 facilities and growing, Simply Self Storage is now the largest privately owned self-storage company in the United States and Puerto Rico. And, after it earned its first million in sales in just four years, Entrepreneur magazine ranked the company as its No. 1-ranked fastest-growing businesses in the area, out of nearly 21 million others. Among other criteria, Simply Self Storage ranked highest in rapid sales growth and positive job growth. According to O’Brien, the company’s tipping point was when it reached 100 locations. “It allowed me to assemble the dream team in my business sector,” he said.
• Matthew Szulik , Red Hat, Inc.
  Years ago, Szulik – then president and CEO – found that his customers grew tired of paying for program licenses, maintenance and upgrades, only to receive flawed software. So, despite protests, Szulik and founder Bob Young then worked on making the company’s software coding freely available over the Internet. Through many years of development, they pursued to create such transparency, which they thought could “redistribute the economics of the technology industry from vendor to customer.” To date, Ernst and Young named Szulik its 2008 “Entrepreneur of the Year,” while Red Hat stands as the sole profiting software company offering open-source material.

What entrepreneurs – new or old – inspired you this year?