Josh Linkner
Josh Linkner is a five-time tech entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and the founder of companies sold for a combined value of over $200 million.
Background & Expertise
Josh Linkner has established himself as one of the foremost authorities on disruptive innovation and creative problem-solving through his five successful tech startups, bestselling books, and hands-on venture capital experience. As the founder and CEO of five tech companies that sold for a combined value of over $200 million, Linkner brings practical entrepreneurial experience to his innovation frameworks. His background also includes serving as the founding partner of Detroit Venture Partners, helping to rebuild Detroit’s economy through technology entrepreneurship.
Linkner’s credibility stems from his unique combination of successful startup exits, investment expertise, and artistic sensibility (he is also an accomplished jazz guitarist). This blend of business success, creative thinking, and capital allocation experience gives him uncommon insight into how innovation occurs across diverse organizational contexts and industries.
Signature Concepts & Methodologies
Big Little Breakthrough Methodology
Linkner’s approach to driving innovation through small, daily acts of creativity rather than relying solely on rare, massive breakthroughs.
Five-Step Innovation Process
His structured framework for innovation: Awareness, Disruption, Transformation, Creation, and Release.
Disciplined Dreaming System
Linkner’s eight-step methodology for cultivating creative thinking and innovative solutions within established organizations.
Innovation Judo
His strategy for using organizational constraints and limitations as leverage points for breakthrough thinking.
Gravitational Core Model
Linkner’s approach to identifying and protecting an organization’s essential value while disrupting everything else.
Books & Thought Leadership
- Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity - Bestseller outlining his structured approach to creative problem-solving.
- The Road to Reinvention: How to Drive Disruption and Accelerate Transformation
- Hacking Innovation: The New Growth Model from the Sinister World of Hackers
- Big Little Breakthroughs: How Small, Everyday Innovations Drive Oversized Results
- Founding Partner of Detroit Venture Partners, investing in tech startups and innovation.
- Regular columnist for Forbes and Inc. on innovation topics.
Speaking Style & Audience Experience
Linkner delivers presentations with high energy, practical examples, and interactive elements that transform abstract innovation concepts into actionable frameworks. His speaking style blends entrepreneurial war stories with structured methodologies, creating both emotional resonance and practical takeaways. He excels at making innovation accessible rather than intimidating, demonstrating that creative problem-solving is a learned skill rather than an innate talent.
What distinguishes Linkner’s keynotes is his ability to customize innovation frameworks for specific industry contexts, from healthcare to manufacturing to financial services. He creates memorable moments through live creative problem-solving exercises that demonstrate innovation techniques in real-time. Attendees consistently report implementing his methodologies immediately following his presentations, with many organizations creating formal innovation programs based on his frameworks.
Ideal Audiences & Event Types
- Corporate leadership teams seeking competitive differentiation
- Industry conferences focused on digital transformation and disruption
- Organizations facing significant competitive or technological challenges
- Sales and marketing teams needing fresh approaches to market penetration
- Established companies looking to foster entrepreneurial thinking
- Innovation and R&D departments seeking structured creativity methodologies
Recent Focus Areas
- Building innovation capacity during economic uncertainty
- Developing everyday creativity practices for distributed workforces
- Applying artificial intelligence to enhance human creativity
- Creating cultures that systematically generate breakthrough thinking
- Implementing rapid experimentation methodologies for product development
