Some Like It Hot <i>Entrepreneur</i> and Dun & Bradstreet's 7th Annual Hot 100-the fastest-growing entrepreneurial businesses in America

Here at Entrepreneur, we're constantly on the lookout for the hottest new entrepreneurs. Seven years ago, we decided to formalize our search, launching our Annual Hot 100 listing.

With the help of Dun & Bradstreet, the world's leading provider of business information, we spotlight the nation's fastest-growing new entrepreneurial companies each and every year.

So what's new this year? What trends can be spotted in our 7th Annual Hot 100? Despite the much-vaunted dotcom shakeout, technology businesses finished stronger than ever before, with 36 of our 100 finalists in that category, and five of those are Web-based-more than in any previous year. In addition, one company in e-learning, an industry whose potential we've long touted, made the list for the first time.