Founder And Creator Of Shazam | Entrepreneur | Inventor | Tech Investor
Book this speaker: Chris Barton
About This Speaker: Chris Barton
Chris Barton wanted a way to identify songs anywhere he heard them. There wasn’t one, so he invented an app called Shazam. His creation is now considered pure magic. Chris aims to delight people by using technology to bring impossible ideas to life, and Shazam is just one example.
Along with creating Shazam, Chris holds 12 patents and played key roles in the early days of Google and Dropbox. His newest venture, Guard, uses artificial intelligence to detect drowning in swimming pools. In his speeches, Chris’s story and storytelling captivate audiences. He inspires people to create magic in their organizations and to pursue ambitious ideas despite obstacles.
Chris grew up with a French mother and British father, both university professors. Academics were difficult for him until he discovered he had dyslexia. He now sees dyslexia as his superpower and credits it with helping him approach problems from fresh angles.
When Chris imagined identifying music through a mobile phone, experts at MIT and Stanford said it was impossible. He invented the needed algorithm, built a search engine from scratch, and created the world’s largest music database. Shazam launched in 2000, before iTunes and long before the App Store. It struggled financially for years until the App Store’s launch allowed it to reach its full potential.
In 2018, Apple acquired Shazam for a reported $400 million. The app has been downloaded over 2 billion times and has more than 300 million monthly users.
Chris also helped create the Android partnerships framework at Google and led carrier partnerships at Dropbox as one of its first 100 employees. Today, he invests in start-ups focused on AI and health and leads his third company, Guard. Chris holds master’s degrees from UC Berkeley and Cambridge University and enjoys time outdoors with his son, Jude.
Contact an agent to get Chris's availability and rates