Ton van der Linden

Innovation Funnels for Serious Companies → Structure Ideas. Kill Chaos. Scale Impact → Ready to Build with a Strategyzer Coach?

Eindhoven, North Brabant, Netherlands

About

Innovation shouldn’t feel like a gamble. Yet for many industrial companies, that’s exactly what it is: scattered initiatives, idea dumps, failed pilots. No structure. No results. I help serious companies build Innovation Funnels — evidence-based innovation systems that turn chaos into clarity and momentum. An Innovation Funnel is more than a process. It aligns your innovation efforts with strategy, organizes your ideas, validates assumptions, and helps you scale what works. The approach combines proven tools like: • Business Model Innovation • Value Proposition Design • Testing Business Ideas • Building Invincible Companies • Discovering Market Opportunities It brings rhythm and rigour to innovation — with clear decision points: Kill. Pivot. Persevere. Rooted in Strategyzer’s methodology, and refined through years of working with manufacturers, corporates and scale-ups. Trained by Strategyzer (Alex Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur). Backed by 20+ years in strategy, innovation and marketing. 👉 Not sure where to start? Many leadership teams want to innovate — but lack structure, alignment, or internal support. That’s where the Innovation Readiness Workshop comes in. In just half a day, we assess your organization’s readiness for innovation — across leadership, structure and practice — using Strategyzer’s proven checklist. You’ll get clear scores, shared insight, and focused next steps. 👉 Learn more: https://lindeninnovation.com/innovation-readiness-workshop/

Experience

  • Strategyzer Innovation Coach at Strategyzer
    Jan 2017 - Present · 9 yrs 6 mos

    I’m one of a small group of certified Strategyzer Innovation Coaches, trained by Alex Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur. I help clients implement Strategyzer’s methodology to design better business models, test ideas with evidence, and build innovation systems that actually work. 💡 My work includes: – Delivering Business Model & Value Proposition workshops – Coaching teams through Testing Business Ideas & Evidence Maps – Supporting corporates and scale-ups in building invincible companies Backed by 20+ years in strategy, innovation and marketing — with a strong focus on industrial and B2B companies. Ready to implement Strategyzer thinking across your company? Let’s connect.

  • Founder & Strategic Innovation Advisor at Linden Innovation
    Jan 2017 - Present · 9 yrs 6 mos

    I help industrial companies build Innovation Funnels — structured, evidence-based innovation systems that turn chaos into clarity, and ideas into results. My work blends the Strategyzer methodology (Business Model Innovation, Value Proposition Design, Testing Business Ideas) with 20+ years of experience in strategy, innovation and marketing. 💡 Projects include: – Designing company-wide innovation funnels for B2B manufacturers – Leading executive workshops on strategy and innovation – Coaching product teams to test and validate business ideas – Running Innovation Sprints that align teams around evidence, not opinions Strategyzer-trained (Alex Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur). Ready to build an Innovation Funnel that actually works? Let’s talk.

  • Business Development Director at Businesslab for Innovators
    Jul 2015 - Dec 2017 · 2 yrs 6 mos

    Helped shape and lead Businesslab for Innovators — a regional initiative supporting startups, SME entrepreneurs and business owners with strategy, product innovation and market entry. We applied business model innovation, value proposition design and expert-led coaching to accelerate early-stage growth. 💡 Focus areas: – Supporting founders in designing and testing business models – Facilitating workshops on innovation strategy and customer discovery – Building bridges between startups, mentors and pilot partners This experience helped shape the foundation for my Innovation Funnels approach today.

  • Customer Experience & Storytelling at Arguments
    Jan 2010 - Jun 2015 · 5 yrs 6 mos

    Alongside my corporate role, I co-initiated a storytelling side project with my partner, focused on helping companies uncover and communicate real customer success. At Arguments, we interviewed customers to understand the deeper impact of products and services — stories my partner shaped into compelling case narratives. This experience deepened my fascination with structured storytelling — a skill I continue to use today when crafting value propositions and innovation pitches. 💡 What I took from this: – How to ask better questions and surface real customer impact – How storytelling builds trust and drives credibility in B2B – Why evidence beats assumption — a principle I now apply across Innovation Funnels

  • Strategy, Product Innovation & Marketing Leadership at Simac IT NL
    Jul 1995 - Jun 2015 · 20 yrs

    Held various roles in product management, marketing and business development at Simac, a publicly listed tech company serving industrial and corporate clients. In my final role as Portfolio Marketing Manager, I was responsible for the company’s portfolio of IT products and services — combining market insights, strategic positioning and go-to-market strategy. Around 2009, I discovered the first Strategyzer book, Business Model Generation — a pivotal moment that sparked my deep interest in business model innovation and value proposition design. From that moment, I was instantly hooked and started applying the methodology inside Simac’s innovation and marketing efforts. 💡 Key takeaways: – Led product and service innovation across business units – Supported strategic growth through market and customer insights – Built the foundation for my later work as Strategyzer Innovation Coach