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Gabriel Linton

Associate Professor

Email: gabriel.linton@inn.no
Phone number: +47 62 59 79 12
Mobile number: +46 73 091 05 51

Inland School of Business and Social Sciences
Department of Organisation, Leadership and Management
Campus Kongsvinger

Short description

Gabriel Linton is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Research on Digitalisation and Sustainability (CREDS). He leads the Smarter Greener Innovation (SGI) research group, focusing on business model innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability transitions. His work explores how organisations, particularly in rural and small-scale settings, can adapt to digitalisation, implement sustainable business models, and contribute to innovation ecosystems. Gabriel is an experienced project leader in EU Horizon projects and collaborates extensively with industry, policymakers, and international research partners.

Background and Education

PhD in Business Administration, Örebro University, Sweden (2016)
Dissertation: Entrepreneurial Orientation – Reflections from a contingency perspective
MBA in Marketing & Management, Cleveland State University, USA (2008)
BBA in Management, Cleveland State University, USA (2005)

Before joining Inland Norway University, Gabriel worked as a Senior Lecturer at Örebro University and, before that, as an Innovation Advisor, supporting entrepreneurship and innovation across campus.

Research Interests

Business model innovation and transformation
Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial orientation
Sustainable and circular economy business models
Digitalisation and innovation in rural and small-scale contexts
Quadruple helix collaboration and innovation ecosystems
University–industry collaboration and co-creation

Projects and Networks

Ongoing major projects:

COMMECT – Bridging the digital divide and addressing the needs of rural communities with cost-effective and environmentally friendly connectivity solutions (EU Horizon, 50 MNOK). Role: Work Package Leader for Dissemination.
JUST PEPP – Just Positive Energy Planning Processes (EU Horizon, 17.1 MNOK). Role: Work Package Leader for Business Models.

Gabriel also serves as an Expert Evaluator for the European Commission (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions) and is a member of the PhD Program Committee (INTOP) at INN.

Teaching and Supervision

Courses in innovation, entrepreneurship, marketing, and sustainability at bachelor’s and master’s levels
PhD supervision: Main and co-supervisor for students working on topics such as sharing economy, innovation in public–private collaboration, incubators, and sustainable food choices.

Google Scholar

LinkedIn

Research Gate

Projects

Research groups

Kask, Johan; Per, Carlborg,; Nina, Hasche,; Vojtěch, Klézl, & Linton, Gabriel (2026). Imagining Energy Futures: Disrupt, Downsize, Scaleup, or Conserve? In Walker, Thomas; Karami, Moein; Sadati, Akram & Salas, Aphrodite (Ed.), Wiring the Future. Financial Strategies, Challenges, and Opportunities in the Sustainable Energy Transition. Palgrave Macmillan. ISSN 9783032147172. p. 339–359. doi: 10.1007/978-3-032-14717-2_13. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Our chapter explores how technological innovation and socio-behavioral change interact in shaping the future of energy systems in the quest for carbon neutrality. We present a strategic analysis of four divergent scenarios—Disrupt, Downsize, Scaleup, and Conserve. Drawing on data from a Swedish research project that includes case studies, a Delphi study, and scenario analysis, we highlight the importance of imagining desirable futures, policy frameworks, and adaptive strategies, and offer a comprehensive framework for understanding potential pathways toward achieving the Paris Agreement targets. By examining each scenario’s implications for stakeholders such as utilities, investors, consumers, and policymakers, our chapter highlights different approaches to decarbonization. The implications can guide stakeholders to better anticipate future developments, identify risks and opportunities, and make informed decisions that contribute to a resilient and equitable energy future.
Donaldson, Colin; Linton, Gabriel; McDowell, William C. & Bendickson, Joshua (2026). Determinants of generative artificial intelligence use in startups. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge (JIK). ISSN 2530-7614. 12, p. 100885–100885. doi: 10.1016/j.jik.2025.100885. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This study investigates the adoption of generative artificial intelligence in accelerator-based startups to determine which types of startups most use the technology. Internal and external factors likely to influence high usage are examined, including creativity, proactivity, industry dynamism, and absorptive capacity. Quantitative survey data were collected from 31 Valencia-based startups participating in a leading Spanish accelerator. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was used to determine the influence of key attributes on generative artificial intelligence usage levels. The findings reveal four pathways influencing high usage. This work contributes to the emerging literature on startups’ usage of generative artificial intelligence, offering insights into the roles of internal abilities and external conditions.
Kask, Johan & Linton, Gabriel (2025). Navigating the Innovation Process: Challenges Faced by Deep-Tech Startups. In Aaltonen, Päivi & Kurvinen, Emil (Ed.), Contemporary Issues in Industry 5.0: Towards an AI Integrated Society. Palgrave Macmillan. ISSN 9783031747793. p. 197–219. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-74779-3_8. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This study examines the challenges faced by deep technology (deep tech) startups in the innovation process, with a focus on the financing of their long and capital-intensive development processes. Two case companies were studied—Alpha Robotics and Beta Robotics—to analyze how their different approaches to the innovation process affected their ability to secure financing and commercialize their products. Results showed that Alpha Robotics’ product had widespread market interest, but difficulty charging a high margin on the product, while Beta Robotics had a more specific market, making it more difficult to secure customers. The research further highlighted the need for an effective innovation system that provides support for deep-tech companies in terms of funding, access to human capital, and resources for industrialization processes. To better support deep-tech startups, the innovation system should invest in innovation environments that have the breadth and depth of knowledge needed to identify any deficiencies in human capital and reduce information asymmetry. Finally, close cooperation with the startup company is essential to reduce the risks associated with the financing of deep-tech projects.
Carlborg, Per & Linton, Gabriel (2025). The Just Circularity Model and the Role of the Entrepreneur. In Audretsch, David B; Sörensson, Anna & Lundström, Anders (Ed.), Entrepreneurship, Sustainability and Social Responsibility. The Importance of Agenda 2030.. Springer. ISSN 9783031775123. p. 157–169. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-77513-0. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This edited collection unveils the pivotal role of entrepreneurship in realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Global scholars converge to scrutinize entrepreneurship's centrality in the transformative framework endorsed by the United Nations. Encompassing nuanced examinations, the volume surveys evolving perspectives on Agenda 2030, appraises policy implications and scrutinizes entrepreneurship's potency as a change catalyst. Chapters deal with practical applications, assessing the Agenda's efficacy in nurturing local enterprises. Exploring the interplay between corporate social responsibility and entrepreneurship, the book analyzes the potential of tailoring Sustainable Development Goals to diverse contexts. Furthermore, the book critically analyzes implementation factors and prevailing research gaps in public sector integration. In sum, this compendium exemplifies Agenda 2030's role in driving multifaceted political and local metamorphoses across sectors and is useful for researchers and policymakers alike.
Donaldson, Colin; Linton, Gabriel & Bendickson, Joshua (2025). Generative artificial intelligence use and configurational pathways to innovation performance in start-ups. Journal of Small Business Management. ISSN 0047-2778. doi: 10.1080/00472778.2025.2492215. Full text in Research Archive
Linton, Gabriel (2024). Triple Helix Dynamics and Hybrid Organizations: An Analysis of Value Creation Processes. Journal of the Knowledge Economy. ISSN 1868-7865. p. 1–26. doi: 10.1007/s13132-024-01911-2. Full text in Research Archive
Donaldson, Colin; Neck, Heidi & Linton, Gabriel (2023). Fearful pathways to social entrepreneurship intention: A fuzzy-set qualitative content analysis. The International Journal of Management Education. ISSN 1472-8117. 22(1). doi: 10.1016/j.ijme.2023.100925. Full text in Research Archive
Linton, Gabriel & Hasche, Nina (2021). University-industry collaboration: constructing a business model lab for student venture creation. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research. ISSN 1355-2554. Full text in Research Archive
Linton, Gabriel; Hasche, Nina & Höglund, Linda (2020). Quadruple helix as a network of relationships: creating value within a Swedish regional innovation system. Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. ISSN 0827-6331. Full text in Research Archive
Linton, Gabriel & Öberg, Christina (2020). A Conceptual Development of a Business Model Typology in Tourism: the impact of digitalization and location. Technology innovation management review. 10(7), p. 16–27. doi: 10.22215/timreview/1372. Full text in Research Archive
Aramo-Immonen, Heli; Carlborg, Per; Hasche, Nina; Jussila, Jari; Kask, Johan & Linton, Gabriel [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2020). Charting the Reach and Contribution of IMP Literature in Other Disciplines: A Bibliometric Analysis. Industrial Marketing Management. ISSN 0019-8501. 87, p. 47–62. doi: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.02.022. Full text in Research Archive
Linton, Gabriel (2019). Innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactiveness in startups: a case study and conceptual development. Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research. ISSN 2228-7566. 9(20). doi: 10.1186/s40497-019-0147-5. Full text in Research Archive
Linton, Gabriel & Klinton, Markus (2019). University entrepreneurship education: a design thinking approach to learning. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 8(3). doi: 10.1186/s13731-018-0098-z. Full text in Research Archive
Prenkert, Frans; Hasche, Nina & Linton, Gabriel (2019). Towards a systematic analytical framework of resource interfaces. Journal of Business Research. ISSN 0148-2963. 100, p. 139–149. Full text in Research Archive
Linton, Gabriel & Hasche, Nina (2018). The value of failed relationships for the development of a Medtech start-up. Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. ISSN 0827-6331. 30(1). doi: 10.1080/08276331.2017.1388953. Full text in Research Archive
Linton, Gabriel & Höglund, Linda (2017). Smart specialization in regional innovation systems: a quadruple helix perspective. R&D Management. ISSN 0033-6807. 48(1). doi: 10.1111/radm.12306. Full text in Research Archive
Linton, Gabriel & Kask, Johan (2017). Configurations of entrepreneurial orientation and competitive strategy for high performance. Journal of Business Research. ISSN 0148-2963. 70. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.08.022. Full text in Research Archive
Hasche, Nina; Linton, Gabriel & Öberg, Christina (2017). Trust in open innovation – the case of a med-tech start-up. European Journal of Innovation Management. ISSN 1460-1060. 20(1). doi: 10.1108/EJIM-10-2015-0111. Full text in Research Archive
Kask, Johan & Linton, Gabriel (2013). Business mating: when start-ups get it right. Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship. ISSN 0827-6331. 26(5). doi: 10.1080/08276331.2013.876765. Full text in Research Archive

View all works in NVA

Kask, Johan & Linton, Gabriel (2026). Seeds in Concrete: How Communities Build Sustainability Under Constraint. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This paper develops the concept of entrepreneurship under constraint through a case study of a stigmatized neighborhood in Norway. It asks how communities with limited resources respond to local sustainability problems through collective, place-based, and often nonprofit forms of initiative that fall outside conventional firm-centered understandings of entrepreneurship. Drawing on interviews, survey data, field visits, and observational material, the paper identifies three forms of constraint that affect entrepreneurial efforts in different ways: blocking constraints, mobilizing constraints, and organizing constraints. The paper contributes to current research on community entrepreneurship by showing how entrepreneurial agency develops through local adaptation, mutual support, and practical problem-solving under conditions of weak support, stigma, and underinvestment. It also offers a more differentiated account of constraint by showing why some initiatives stay small, why others generate local momentum, and why even promising efforts may struggle to hold together over time.
Linton, Gabriel; Hasche, Nina & Samuelsson, Peter (2025). Grit and Effectuation in Business Model Innovation among Farmers. Full text in Research Archive
Kask, Johan & Linton, Gabriel (2024). Cities without emissions: Are some areas or groups forgotten in the low-carbon transition? Full text in Research Archive
Kask, Johan & Linton, Gabriel (2024). The Entrepreneurial University: Experiences from a Student-Driven Startup. Full text in Research Archive
Kask, Johan; Carlborg, Per & Linton, Gabriel (2024). Revival of regional mining for a just transition. Full text in Research Archive
Linton, Gabriel; Kask, Johan & Hasche, Nina (2024). The Role of University-Industry-Government Networks in Facilitating Student Entrepreneurship. Full text in Research Archive
Kask, Johan & Linton, Gabriel (2023). Five principles for overcoming obstacles in deep-tech startup journeys. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development. ISSN 1462-6004. 30(1), p. 1–3. doi: 10.1108/JSBED-02-2023-477. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Deep-tech startups are specific types of entrepreneurial ventures that are based on disruptive technologies that are capital-intensive, research-intensive and require lengthy development processes. These characteristics make deep-tech startups more difficult to finance and commercialize than other kinds of entrepreneurial ventures. As such, failure rates are particularly high, which precludes certain opportunities to make societal and commercial impact. From our experiences with deep-tech startups, we believe they often fail due lack of tailored support, too few valuable connections and poor funding. Overall, today's innovation systems are not very well designed for deep-tech startups.
Carlborg, Per; Hasche, Nina; Kask, Johan; Klézl, Vojtech & Linton, Gabriel (2023). Foresight as a Tool for Sustainable Innovation: A Delphi-based Scenario Analysis. Full text in Research Archive