NYT
Tech Entrepreneur
Venture Capital
Jazz Guitarist
EY
US Presidential Champion
Top Entrepreneur and Startup Keynote Speaker
Selecting the perfect keynote speaker for your upcoming entrepreneurship or startup event is an important decision.
Entrepreneur, hyper-growth leader, and bestselling author Josh Linkner will bring your event to life with his extensive experience and unique perspective in the entrepreneurial world of startups.
Starting his first company at age 20, Josh Linkner has been one of the preeminent entrepreneurs of our time. He was the founder and CEO of five technology businesses that sold for a combined exit value of over $200 million. He is the founding partner of Detroit Venture Partners, a $55 million early-stage tech fund helping to rebuild his hometown of Detroit through entrepreneurship. Throughout his twenty-five-year career, he’s raised over $100 million of venture capital and been involved in the funding or launch of over one hundred startups. Josh has twice been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and has won dozens of other startup and entrepreneurial awards. He was an active member of EO and YPO for many years, and contributes cutting-edge insights on startups and venture capital weekly to Inc. Magazine, Forbes, and the Detroit Free Press.
Josh Linkner is the ideal speaker for startup or entrepreneurial events, since he’s spent his entire career in this sector. He also has deep experience in venture capital, private equity and startup finance arenas – from being on both sides of M&A deals to large-scale recaps to funding from seed through Series D financings. He has co-invested with industry giants including Andreessen Horowitz, Google Ventures, and Lightbank Capital. Josh has also delivered keynotes at dozens of venture and PE events including: Ohio Venture Association, Edison Ventures Leadership Summit, Michigan Growth Symposium, ACG Capital Summit, Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association, Inc. Magazine’s GrowCo, and Startup Miami. Additionally, he has also spoken to many entrepreneurial companies and small business events in four continents. He’s even served as a “shark” more than twenty times for entrepreneur pitch contests and has seen over 3,000 startup pitches throughout his career.
With extensive, personal, and direct experience as a venture-funded entrepreneur and proven startup leader, there is no better choice for a keynote for your upcoming entrepreneur or startup event.
Linkner’s deep knowledge of the trends and best practices combined with an intimate understanding of startup culture and language make him the ideal keynote speaker for your event.
Josh Linkner has helped millions of people become everyday innovators at leading companies.
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FedEx
cisco
Pfizer
Coca-Cola
Verizon
American-Express
Marriott
ESPN
Mercedes-Benz
P&G
Comcast
Disney
Samsung
Prudential
Deloitte
SAP
Cardinal Health
Uber
UBS
Oracle
CVS
Allstate
Fidelity
Chase-logo
FedEx
cisco
Pfizer
Coca-Cola
Verizon
American-Express
Marriott
Allstate
ESPN
Mercedes-Benz
P&G
Comcast
Disney
Samsung
Prudential
Deloitte
Fidelity
SAP
Cardinal Health
Uber
UBS
Oracle
CVS
Amazing, energizing, entertaining, humorous, and actionable learnings, things we can do right away. Josh created just the right finish and exclamation point in our program.”
Josh Linkner lays out a roadmap that guides individuals, teams, and companies to higher levels of creativity. It is a journey that leads to better ideas and breakthrough thinking.”
SAJEENA WARRIER
Managing Director, Intel Security
5 Ways Josh Turns Your Event Up To “11”
Sparks a mindset & movement.
His authentic, relatable, research-backed content - with real-world case studies and a high-energy delivery - will inspire your audience to uncover and activate new opportunities every day.
Moves your team into action.
Your audience will not only be energized, motivated, and inspired, they’ll become better equipped with specific tools, frameworks, and techniques to drive meaningful results in the months and years ahead.
Handcrafted, not canned.
Josh takes the time to listen deeply before custom-building a keynote experience just for you. This ensures that every minute is on-point, relevant, and targeted to your unique challenges and opportunities.
Real and accessible.
Josh applies Find A Way™ principles in his everyday work as a leader, venture capitalist, musician, and author. Leaders inspired by his keynote often reach out to him for help finding a way in their everyday work.
Impact - 11, Drama - 0.
Coming from a place of humility and service, Josh believes that a great keynote is about the audience, not the speaker. Meeting professionals often call Josh one of the best keynote speakers to work with.