Red Herring announced its Top 100 award in recognition of the leading private companies from Asia, celebrating these startups’ innovations and technologies across their respective industries.

Red Herring’s Top 100 Asia list has become a mark of distinction for identifying promising new companies and entrepreneurs. Red Herring editors were among the first to recognize that companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Skype, Salesforce.com, YouTube, and eBay would change the way we live and work.

“Choosing the companies with the strongest potential was by no means a small feat,” said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. “After rigorous contemplation and discussion, we narrowed our list down from hundreds of candidates from across Asia to the Top 100 Winners. We believe Dragon Trail embodies the vision, drive and innovation that define a successful entrepreneurial venture. Dragon Trail should be proud of its accomplishment, as the competition was the strongest it has ever been.”

George Cao, Dragon Trail co-founder and CEO says: “This recognition comes very timely as we have just launched our own online travel website in China, www.Tripshow.com, to better help travel brands to connect with Chinese consumers, and help Chinese consumers to get inspired by fellow travelers to plan their trips.”

Dragon Trail Interactive with its unique focus to help travel companies market to affluent Chinese consumers via social media, digital marketing, and travel technology, has won various awards for its campaigns including the 2011 Travel Weekly Best e-Marketing Campaign in China for the Hello Canada Campaign for the Canadian Tourism Commission. Clients range from tourist boards such as Tourism Malaysia and the Tourism Vancouver, tour operators such as CITS, online travel agencies such as Ctrip, theme parks such as Universal Studios Hollywood in California, and hotel companies such as Kempinski Hotels & Resorts, Atlantis The Palm Dubai, and Taj Hotels & Palaces.

The photo shows from left to right: George Cao (Co-founder & CEO, Dragon Trail); Alex Vieux (CEO, Red Herring), Jens Thraenhart (Co-founder & President, Dragon Trail) - at the Red Herring Top 100 Asia Awards in Hong Kong, September 12th, 2012

Co-founder and President Jens Thraenhart says: “We are extremely honored that our early vision to leverage the most complex social media landscape in the world to help international and Chinese travel companies to market to the fastest growing tourism market has been recognized by a prestigious publication such as Red Herring.”

Red Herring’s editorial staff evaluated the companies on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, management quality, strategy, and market penetration, in industries including telecommunications, security, Web 2.0, software, hardware, biotech, and mobile. This assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the track record and standing of startups relative to their peers, allowing Red Herring to see past the “buzz” and make the list a valuable instrument of discovery and advocacy for the most promising new business models in Asia.