Chris Barton
Chris Barton is the Founder & Creator of Shazam, a key contributor to Google and Dropbox, and a highly praised keynote speaker, all despite his dyslexia.
Chris Barton Booking & Availability
Speaking fees, availability and booking details for corporate events, keynotes and private appearances.
How do I book Chris Barton for a corporate event?
Use the Check Availability form above to send your proposed event date, location, audience size, event format and program goals. The Mollie Plotkin Group will follow up with availability and next steps.
What is Chris Barton’s speaking fee?
Chris Barton’s current speaking fee is $45,000–$50,000. Final pricing can vary by date, location, event format and scope of the appearance.
Is Chris Barton available for my event date?
Submit your proposed date and event details and the Mollie Plotkin Group will confirm current availability.
Who is Chris Barton’s booking agent?
Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group to inquire about booking Chris Barton.
What types of events can Chris Barton be booked for?
Corporate events, conferences, leadership meetings, keynote speeches, workshops, fireside chats, private events and virtual programs may be available depending on the engagement.
Chris Barton Keynote Topics & Programs
Chris Barton speaks on artificial intelligence, business, creativity, disruption, entrepreneurship and futurism through keynote presentations and related programs. Additional themes are also available.
Entrepreneurs have passion, ideas, and desire but can get stuck on the difficult journey to achieving their dreams. They want to bring something truly new to the world, but need to learn how to overcome big obstacles, choose their priorities, and convince others of their vision.
Chris inspires and teaches entrepreneurs using the story of Shazam’s creation including the scrappy and creative hacks that transformed an idea into a product with two billion customers.
Technology & AI are dramatically changing what’s possible in our world. Our challenge as we create new things is to dislodge from the comfort of what we already know.
Chris created Shazam after being told by every “expert” that his outlandish idea was impossible. It was an idea far ahead of its time – eight years before iPhone apps even existed.
In this presentation, Chris helps audiences imagine and then create new visions for the future. He inspires with jaw-dropping stories about creating Shazam and shows how innovation comes from not just an idea, but from a series of insights to overcome obstacles along the way.
A great idea gets you nowhere without tenacity. True disruption requires both persistence and creative solutions.
In creating Shazam, Chris faced obstacles many thought were insurmountable. Most would have given up, but he refused. Instead, Chris challenged every assumption about the obstacles he faced.
He shares stories and actionable lessons that inspire audiences to pursue their dreams. Chris urges audiences to question the status quo and to sweat the details on the path to redefining the future.
We all know simple is great, so why don’t all organizations create amazing things just like Apple? The reality is that friction permeates almost everything we do. This “extra effort” frustrates our customers, partners, and colleagues.
In creating Shazam, Chris moved mountains to make one thing very easy – identifying any song. Shazam changed the way the world discovers music.
Chris combines stories from creating Shazam with his twelve years at Android (Google) and Dropbox to provide concrete examples of how we can all push boundaries to eliminate friction.
Chris Barton Biography & Credentials
Spend time with inventor Chris Barton and you’ll be inspired to believe anything is possible.
- PIONEERING ENTREPRENEUR: Every expert said Shazam was an impossible idea to create. Chris Barton wasn’t convinced. He went on to invent the first mass-consumer AI product in history, completely changing how the world discovers music.
- INSPIRING RESILIENCE: Radical technological change is testing our durability. Chris was tested too, overcoming mind-boggling technical obstacles and six years of near-bankruptcy to achieve a Hollywood ending: Shazam became Apple’s sixth largest acquisition.
- INNOVATION LESSONS: The biggest limitation to creating the future is our own imagination. Chris blends music, video, images, and great storytelling to show audiences how to summon creative persistence and bring bold ideas to life.
- A BREAKTHROUGH ROADMAP: Start From Zero Thinking is the five-step framework Chris developed to overcome obstacles to innovation. The method can be applied to any challenge and is rooted in his unique thinking style. The dyslexia and ADHD he struggled with as a student turned out to be his superpowers.
- EXPERIENCE BEYOND SHAZAM: First head of Mobile Relations at Google, among first 100 employees at Dropbox, inventor with 12 patents (one used within Google algorithm). His next invention is Guard, which uses AI to detect drowning in swimming pools. Chris teaches innovation and entrepreneurship at four universities.
- THE PERFECT SPEAKER FOR: INNOVATION, RESILIENCE, OVERCOMING OBSTACLES, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, CREATIVITY, INSPIRATION, AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MINDSET.
Chris Barton is available to be booked for corporate and private events. He is also well-known for his keynote and motivational speaking. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group today to inquire about Chris Barton’s fees.
Want to book Chris Barton for an event?
Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group at (215) 995-0905 to book Chris Barton for corporate or private events, keynote speeches, workshops, fireside chats, motivational speaking, or virtual appearances. Our agency will work directly with your organization and our keynote speakers to create an unforgettable event.
The Mollie Plotkin Group is the leading keynote speakers agency and entertainment bureau bringing excitement to audiences, clients, and employees. We represent subject-matter experts in every possible field, so whether we’re your partner in creating a memorable meeting, or your meeting planner’s secret weapon in securing the perfect keynote speaker, we’re in this with you.
Creator of Shazam
Chris Barton is the renowned tech pioneer who invented the Shazam music app. His creation, the first mass-consumer AI product in history, changed the way the world discovers music and is pure and absolute magic. Chris has a history of delighting people by using technology to make seemingly impossible ideas come to life. Shazam is just one of them. In addition to creating Shazam, Chris holds twelve patents and played key roles in the early days of Google and Dropbox. Chris’s newest venture, Guard, aims to use AI to detect drowning in swimming pools – a never-before accomplished effort. In his speeches, Chris’s story and storytelling completely captivate audiences. He inspires people to make big things happen in their organizations – to create magic in defiance of the obstacles.
Inventing What Doesn’t Exist
Chris grew up with a French mother and British father – both of whom were university professors. Academics were a struggle for him, and Chris would come to realize he had undiagnosed dyslexia. Chris flipped this challenge on its head and learned to embrace what he now calls his superpower. Chris believes that dyslexia has allowed him to overcome barriers to achieve his many accomplishments.
When Chris had the idea to identify music using a mobile phone, no technology existed to achieve his goal. He was told by Professors at MIT and Stanford that the necessary pattern recognition algorithm was impossible. Even after inventing a new technology that didn’t yet exist, he had to build a search engine supercomputer from scratch, create the world’s largest music database, and create a user experience on very basic mobile phones. Did Chris ever think the experts were right? “No way,” he says.
Shazam’s Trials & Triumphs
When Chris came up with the idea for Shazam in 2000, it was three years before iTunes and eight years before the App Store. Shazam launched as a phone number that you dialed, and the service struggled, teetering near bankruptcy for six years until the App Store launched in 2008, allowing Shazam to unleash its full potential on the world.
In 2018, Shazam was acquired by Apple for a reported $400 million, making it Apple’s 6th largest acquisition of all-time. Shazam has been downloaded over 2 billion times and is used each month by over 300 million people, making it one of the world’s most popular apps. It has become an integral part of our everyday lives, with its ability to instantly identify songs and provide a range of music features such as lyrics. Shazam has become a verb, and it has changed the way the world discovers music.
Other Significant Contributions
Chris has also played a key role in tech history as a founding member of Google’s Android Partnerships team where he created Android’s mobile operator partnership framework. He also spent four years at Dropbox where he led carrier partnerships and was one of the first 100 people at the company.
Holding 12 patents, including one found within the Google search algorithm, Chris has made significant contributions to the tech industry. He also invests in a wide range of start-ups, including artificial intelligence for heart health and inflammatory disease therapeutics.
Today, Chris spends much of his time building his third startup company, Guard, an artificial intelligence system that detects drowning in swimming pools.
Chris Barton Keynote Speaking
Chris has spoken at events all over the world, sharing lessons learned from his experience creating a new technology by overcoming what were thought to be impossible obstacles. He inspires audiences with firsthand stories that highlight key take-aways across technology innovation, persistence, removing friction, and entrepreneurship. Chris gives audiences a new framework for making big things happen and inspires them to take action.
Prior to his technology career, Chris was a strategy consultant and earned two master’s degrees from UC Berkeley and Cambridge University.
