Josh Linkner is a Creative Troublemaker. He passionately believes that all human beings have incredible creative capacity, and he’s on a mission to unlock inventive thinking and creative problem solving to help leaders, individuals and communities soar.
Josh has been the founder and CEO of five tech companies, which sold for a combined value of over $200 million and is the author of four books including the New York Times Bestsellers, Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention. He has invested in and/or mentored over 100 startups and is the Founding Partner of Detroit Venture Partners.
Today, Josh serves as Chairman and Cofounder of Platypus Labs, an innovation research, training and consulting firm, and is the Managing Partner and Cofounder of Mudita Venture Partners, an early-stage tech venture fund. He has twice been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and is the recipient of the United States Presidential Champion of Change Award.
Josh is also a passionate Detroiter, the father of four, is a professional-level jazz guitarist and has a slightly odd obsession with greasy pizza.
Get to know more about Josh’s work and connect with him at the links below:
More on Josh’s work around keynote speaking and writing – JoshLinkner.com
Josh’s innovation consulting firm – PlatypusLabs.com
Josh’s venture capital fund – MuditaVenturePartners.com
Josh’s latest book – BigLittleBreakthroughs.com
Business
5 Habits of Highly Successful Innovators
Transcending industry, geography and upbringing, here are the five core beliefs shared by hundreds of the world’s most successful innovators.
Innovation
A Simple Way To De-Risk Innovation
We know that embracing innovation is the only way to grow and win over the long term, but it sure can feel risky and overwhelming. Luckily, there’s an easy fix.
cities
Detroit Is No Blank Canvas: Why Creativity Pays Here
"Detroit is a blank canvas." I cringe every time I hear this phrase, even though it's used by people who mean well. To say something that references "emptiness" regarding a city founded in 1701 is both unfair and inaccurate, as it implies that there's nothing here—or worse—that there's nothing worth talking about here. By suggesting this, the speaker disregards momentum building around the Detroit 2.0 movement, which is in full swing.
Business
Josh Linkner on Why Entrepreneurs Should Be Street Fighters
Having built four startups from scratch and now investing full-time, you could say I’m in the business of entrepreneurship. But I don’t think that’s the right term anymore. At all. The word entrepreneur is borrowed from French and implies an aristocratic polish. It conjures up images of backroom deals with white men in three-piece suits, perhaps even wearing top hats, neatly manicured and coddled, issuing orders from afar to sweaty and tattered workers. But that just ain’t the way you win today.
