Josh Linkner

Who is Josh Linkner?

Josh Linkner is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and author. He founded several companies including ePrize, an interactive promotion agency, where he served as CEO and Executive Chairman. Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Gwendolyn Bounds noted that ePrize is targeted at small businesses that don't have the resources to do this type of marketing themselves but cautioned that the service is not of the pay-per-sale type.

Since 2010 Linkner has served as CEO and Managing Partner of Detroit Venture Partners, a venture capital firm helping to rebuild urban areas through technology and entrepreneurship. Detroit Venture Partners' portfolio includes DJ app Rockbot, mobile app developer Detroit Labs, and CAPTCHA replacement company Are You a Human. General partners of Detroit Venture Partners include Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr.

Linkner has published two books, the first Leaning Forward: Surviving/Winning in the Future of Interactive Marketing in 2007 and a New York Times best-seller Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity in 2011. In the latter book he states that the original thought and imagination of jazz performance are transferable skills for creating value in the business world. GetAbstract said the book provides "a clear, methodical guide to developing creativity". His third book, The Road to Reinvention: How to Drive Disruption and Accelerate Transformation, is scheduled for publication in May 2014.