Chris Barton | Keynote Speaker

Meet Chris Barton: Founder and Creator of Shazam

Chris Barton is best known as the founder and creator of Shazam, one of the world’s most recognised music discovery apps. Long before iPhone apps became part of everyday life, Chris created Shazam from an outlandish idea: use a mobile phone to identify almost any song in seconds.

It was far ahead of its time. The technology was complex, the market was uncertain and many people thought the idea was impossible. Chris challenged those assumptions and helped turn Shazam into a product that changed the way the world discovers music.

Creating Shazam

Creating Shazam took more than a great idea. Chris and the team had to build the technology, the music database and the user experience needed to make music recognition feel effortless.

In creating Shazam, Chris faced obstacles that would have stopped many founders. Instead, he used scrappy and creative hacks, persistence and imagination to move the idea forward. His story gives audiences a rare look at how seemingly impossible ideas can become real when people are willing to challenge the status quo.

Today, Shazam has had more than two billion downloads and was acquired by Apple in 2018 for a reported $400 million. Chris’s best known creation remains a powerful example of how technology can feel like pure magic when it removes effort for the user.

From Google and Dropbox to Guard

Chris Barton’s career goes beyond Shazam. He spent eight years at Google and four years at Dropbox, working on mobile partnerships, Android, search and growth. At Google, he was the first employee focused on mobile partnerships and helped create the carrier partnership framework for Search and Android. At Dropbox, he joined when the company had around 90 employees and helped build its mobile business.

Chris is also the founder and CEO of Guard, a company using artificial intelligence to detect drowning in swimming pools. Like Shazam, Guard began with a difficult problem and a belief that technology could make life simpler, safer and better.

A Speaker Who Helps Audiences Think Differently

As a Chris Barton speaker booking, his talks are ideal for leadership conferences, technology events, innovation summits, entrepreneurship programmes and corporate gatherings.

Chris combines stories from creating Shazam with lessons from Google and Dropbox to show how organisations create amazing things. He helps audiences imagine what is possible, overcome big obstacles, find creative solutions and eliminate effort to unlock explosive growth.

Chris believes innovation starts when people question familiar thinking. His talks are practical, energetic and full of jaw dropping stories from the early days of Shazam, Google, Dropbox and Guard.

Personal Story

Chris grew up with a French mother and British father, both university professors. He struggled with dyslexia at school, but later earned a Bachelor’s degree and MBA from UC Berkeley, plus a Master’s degree from Cambridge University.

That personal background gives his keynote a human edge. Chris does not present success as neat or easy. He shares the doubts, setbacks and breakthroughs behind Shazam’s creation, helping audiences see what it really takes to bring impossible ideas to life.

Turn Your Challenges Into Opportunities

Book Chris Barton to inspire your audience with a powerful story of innovation, persistence and imagination. Whether he is speaking about Shazam, AI, entrepreneurship, mobile technology or the future of consumer innovation, Chris gives audiences the confidence to think bigger and build what others cannot yet see.

To check Chris Barton’s speaking fees, availability or event fit, contact the Speaker Ideas team.