Violin Memory filed for an IPO in October, and some have given the company a valuation as high as $2 billion. Violin Memory manufactures flash memory and high-speed storage systems that are used by companies like Oracle and Cisco Systems. Companies involved in "big data" are popular picks to move into the capital markets -- VCs more than doubled their investments in big data firms this year -- and some Violin competitors, like Fusion-io in 2011, have already made the leap. Violin CEO Don Basile joined the company in 2009 after leaving Fusion-io, where he also served as CEO.
It's been a great year for nerds. Here are five big ideas in science that could soon reshape the business world.
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