Businessman, best-selling author joins UM-Dearborn as Entrepreneur-In-Residence and Adjunct Professor of Applied Creativity

Entrepreneur and best-selling author Josh Linkner is on a mission to make the world more creative and beginning this fall he will do that at University of Michigan-Dearborn. Linkner, CEO and managing partner of Detroit Venture Partners, a venture capital firm helping to rebuild urban areas through technology and entrepreneurship, will join UM-Dearborn’s College of Business as entrepreneur-in-residence and adjunct professor of applied creativity.

“Creativity has been identified as the #1 skill CEOs look for in the talent they hire, but they face a severe shortage of creative people who can synthesize solutions, identify opportunities, and laterally think,” says Kim Schatzel, dean, College of Business. “We are thrilled to have Josh joining the College of Business and believe his expertise and experience will add greatly to our efforts to prepare students in the areas of digital marketing, entrepreneurship and creativity.”

In this role, Linkner will partner with College of Business and University faculty, staff and senior leadership to infuse programs and courses with his innovative principles. The first piece of the partnership will have Linkner working to transform his best-selling book, Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity, into an educational experience for UM-Dearborn students.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the University of Michigan-Dearborn and its students. We are at a pivotal point in the business world, and building creative capacity is mission-critical for success. Working closely with the University and faculty, I'm eager to help students reach their full creative potential, and in turn, leave their biggest impact on the world," says Josh Linkner, CEO and managing partner, Detroit Venture Partners.

Linkner is the founder, chairman and former CEO of ePrize, the largest interactive promotion agency in the world providing digital marketing services for 74 of the world's top 100 brands. Prior to ePrize, he was the founder and CEO of three other successful technology companies. Linkner has been named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, the Automation Alley CEO of the Year, and the Detroit Executive of the Year. His writings are published frequently by Fast Company and Forbes and Linkner’s been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, USA Today, and on CNBC.