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Innovation Speaker
& Founder of Shazam
Real Lessons. Real Stories. Real Emotions.
Speaking
Chris inspires audiences with keynotes about innovation and overcoming the impossible.
Chris’s keynotes illustrate how thinking from “first principles” can truly ignite innovation and how “creative persistence” is the mindset that allows you to overcome obstacles.
First principles are the most basic elements of a problem. Aristotle called these “the first basis from which a thing is known.” Building from these fundamental truths is how Elon Musk, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, and Henry Ford all came up with their break-through ideas.
Why doesn’t everyone do this? Elon Musk says “It’s mentally easier to reason by analogy rather than from first principles.” People generally approach problems from the basis of established processes. By default, we think by analogy. Our brains are wired this way. This is why most innovations only lead to slight improvements. There is a better way.
First principles can be employed anytime creative thought is used to generate new ideas. The result can lead to dramatic improvements in business models, business processes, and products.
Creative persistence is a methodology that uses innovation to overcome hurdles along the way.
This is how Shazam was created.
Unleash the creative genius within your organization by reframing your approach to innovation.
Keynote Topics
Chris believes every keynote should be crafted for your audience and your goals. He creates customized messages and unique experiences to achieve the results you need.
Innovation from First Principles
How Perspective Leads to Superior Results
Picking Your Bets
The Best Decisions Only Become
Obvious in Retrospect
Creative Persistence
A Mindset and Methodology to Overcome the Impossible
Every Employee as an Innovator
How Shazam Was Created by
Many People’s Innovations
The Hard Thing about Simplicity
Why it is Worth Every Ounce of Pain
Chris also delivers virtual talks from his state-of-the-art virtual studio that includes multiple cameras with live switching, integrated presentation view, and professional lighting/sound equipment.
About
When I came up with the idea to identify music out of thin air, everyone said it was impossible. I then embarked on a journey to make it possible through not just one, but many innovations. I have continued to innovate and learn from amazing innovators during 8 years at Google, 4 years at Dropbox and as founder of my new company, Guard.
About Chris
I like to create magic
Shazam: Founder & First CEO
(Acquired by Apple in 2018)
I am passionate about impact
Guard: Founder & CEO
(Artificial Intelligence to Prevent Drowning in Swimming Pools)
I love to collaborate with amazing people
Google: As the first Google employee focused on mobile, I flew
around the world to forge partnerships with mobile phone companies.
around the world to forge partnerships with mobile phone companies.
I know how to roll up my sleeves
Dropbox: I joined this scrappy startup
with just 90 employees to build their mobile business.
with just 90 employees to build their mobile business.
I like to invent things
12 Patents Granted
(Inventions for Shazam, Google, and Dropbox)
I am not shy of the camera
Co-Starred in Super Bowl TV Ad and Renault TV Ad
I have learned how to overcome challenges
I struggled with dyslexia but still managed to earn a
Bachelor’s from UC Berkeley, a Master’s degree from
Cambridge University, and an MBA from UC Berkeley.
Bachelor’s from UC Berkeley, a Master’s degree from
Cambridge University, and an MBA from UC Berkeley.
About Shazam
Photos
Reactions
“Brilliant brilliant brilliant speaker! Chris delivered an inspiring and on point presentation tailored to over 7,000 Optus employees to launch our new Innovation strategy. To date, Chris’s talk attracted the highest in real time attendance and engagement we have had on this topic. Chris shed light on how innovation can be a big breakthrough, but it can also be an everyday improvement sharing practical examples from his time at Shazam and Google. The presentation balanced both the mindset that is required to drive a cultural shift for innovation as well as the process to bring innovative ideas to life. Chris delivered a compelling talk that generated talkability across the organisation with leaders revisiting the recording later with their teams to help reinforce key messages. Powerful content delivered with an engaging story!”
Anshika Grover
Director Innovation Strategy
Optus
“Chris Barton’s fireside conversation with Kasia Madera, BBC World News, was the headline of the Conference, which gathered 1000 senior marketing professionals. His remarks had people riveted, and offered both high-level insight, meaningful content and actionable ideas on how to lead and build a prosperous business. He had a very human approach to his speech, with relevant personal stories that were intertwined with humor. The audience was totally engaged and enraptured by his presence.”
Diana Flutur
Conference Director
IAA Global
Just back from an impressive #SAPNOW Basel! Favourite quote: “The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do”(Chris Barton, @Shazam Founder). It‘s the essence for #digitaltransformation: Not technology but people, their #mindset & perseverance are decisive! pic.twitter.com/wfkzCKPyHp
— Kerstin Köder (@KerstinKoeder) April 4, 2019
"It's what you are doing when you have ZERO dollars in funding that really matters..." Chris Barton from @Shazam on bootstrapping it. @bitsandpretzels #bits19 #inspiration pic.twitter.com/6uF0p21wSU
— Oliver Durrer (@OliverDurrer) September 29, 2019
Fantastic insights from Chris Barton of @Shazam to kick of the @WebSummit. #WebSummit2019 pic.twitter.com/OIA9XjoBSf
— Ignition Law (@IgnitionLaw) November 5, 2019
“One of our biggest lessons building #Shazam is that Simple is hard!” Chris Barton @Shazam #Founder #SouthSummit2019 #Shazam 👏👏👏👏 Great talk!! pic.twitter.com/hLUY6y24Bo
— Cristina Peñaloza (@cristinapm18) October 3, 2019
#WebSummit via @akwyz 'The real breakthrough idea was what if you could identify a song from the ambient sound of the air.'
— Smartization (@smartization) November 6, 2019
Co-founder of @Shazam, Chris Barton speaking about the idea behind Shazam live on Startup University at pic.twitter.com/hsBtRZj6Nz https://t.co/9cR9ER5CJd
“A good speaker communicates but a great speaker connects. As an MC, applause usually signals the end of one speech and is my cue to get back on stage. Chris is a different breed of speaker – his story is so authentic and inspiring that he received multiple applause breaks throughout his speech. A particularly impressive feat especially given that he was addressing 5000+ predominantly German business professionals after they had already been wowed by President Obama earlier at that same event. I’ve been a professional Event MC and host to over 500 events around the world and I must say Chris is a truly gifted speaker and genuinely beautiful soul.”
DanRam
Master of Ceremonies
“Chris was an inspiring and sincere keynote speaker. His talk was very engaging … the audience was fascinated by his personal insights on entrepreneurship and business strategy. Very on point, with a convincing message!”
Thomas Mosch
Head of CEBIT d!talk
CEBIT
“Chris Barton is an incredibly engaging speaker-our enthusiastic YPO’ers were very inspired by his accomplishments and foresight. His personal insights on business development and strategies to strengthen bonds within the fraternity were enlightening, and a definite take home learning for us. In fact his motivational speech left us hungry for more! Sincerely wish him the very best as he spreads his vibrant energy across the globe to truly reach greater heights!”
Shrenik Chowdhary
YPO India
"The number one determinant of entrepreneurial success is persistence." - Chris Barton, co-founder of @Shazam http://t.co/DrZN6vWLLf
— Inc. (@Inc) February 12, 2014
‚The first challenge we faced was that its impossible.‘ Chris Barton founder of @Shazam reflects on being ahead of your time at @bitsandpretzels #BITS19 pic.twitter.com/2W8eorDRGc
— Laura Schroeder (@WorkGal) September 29, 2019
How do you win over all of your doubters? @Shazam's Chris Barton gave an inspiring keynote on the ultimate sell: convincing people. #UNLEASH18 pic.twitter.com/ErtliC5DcM
— UNLEASH (@UNLEASHgroup) October 23, 2018
"Putting in an extra 1% every day makes a big difference": Chris Barton from @Shazam sharing his story #slush2016 pic.twitter.com/wbz7cIXIYQ
— Jenny Wolfram (@JennyWolfram) December 1, 2016
"All entrepreneurs have periods of bad days or months. For @Shazam it was 6 years." Chris Barton is one persistent guy! #slush16 #slushmusic
— Slush (@SlushHQ) December 1, 2016
“Chris was awesome. Some of the feedback from our executives in attendance included: Powerful message…Loved the message about starting with the end user and working backwards… and Very inspirational”
Sarah Lietz
Chief Experience Officer
Members Development Company
“Chris is a charismatic speaker who shared his inspiring story of how a seemingly impossible dream with insurmountable obstacles eventually came to life. In a very personal and honest tone, Chris shared the many lessons learned from the challenges of creating Shazam – from the power of persuasion and convincing people to believe in their project to building credibility and sharing their passion. The overall message was very inspiring and uplifting and our audience at our UNLEASH show loved having him as a speaker!”
Marc Coleman
Founder & CEO
UNLEASH Group
“Chris’s keynote completely captivated our audience of 1700+ SAP customers, partners, and employees. His talk was truly entertaining and inspiring. Our audience’s perception of entrepreneurial innovation was completely transformed.”
Michael Locher-Tjoa
Managing Director
SAP Switzerland
#FDDAY "How we overcame challenges that nearly shut out our business down" with Chris Barton co-founder of @Shazam pic.twitter.com/iWOAe1D1TT
— Adeline Folléa-Fleury (@adelineduracell) September 25, 2018
Very inspiring keynote by Chris Barton, founder of @Shazam at #SAPNOW #SAPCampusBasel in Basel, Switzerland about facing challenges and turning them into opportunities. pic.twitter.com/Ag8ysczu2s
— Clemens Link (@ClemensLink) April 3, 2019
Just @shazam it! At it since 2008 🎵 with Chris Barton, Co-Founder #Shazam pic.twitter.com/wsAV93OJVT
— Taruna Seth (@taruna_seth) November 8, 2019
Very inspiring speech today from Chris Barton @shazam @joinstationf https://t.co/xGlbGSj4Nb
— Katia Hilal (@katiahilal) September 26, 2018
Chris Barton, Founder of @Shazam kicks of his session at #UNLEASH18 with a song for us to Shazam! pic.twitter.com/sfGki2rmmv
— HRZone (@HRZone) October 23, 2018
“Brilliant brilliant brilliant speaker! Chris delivered an inspiring and on point presentation tailored to over 7,000 Optus employees to launch our new Innovation strategy. To date, Chris’s talk attracted the highest in real time attendance and engagement we have had on this topic. Chris shed light on how innovation can be a big breakthrough, but it can also be an everyday improvement sharing practical examples from his time at Shazam and Google. The presentation balanced both the mindset that is required to drive a cultural shift for innovation as well as the process to bring innovative ideas to life. Chris delivered a compelling talk that generated talkability across the organisation with leaders revisiting the recording later with their teams to help reinforce key messages. Powerful content delivered with an engaging story!”
Anshika Grover
Director Innovation Strategy
Optus
“Chris Barton’s fireside conversation with Kasia Madera, BBC World News, was the headline of the Conference, which gathered 1000 senior marketing professionals. His remarks had people riveted, and offered both high-level insight, meaningful content and actionable ideas on how to lead and build a prosperous business. He had a very human approach to his speech, with relevant personal stories that were intertwined with humor. The audience was totally engaged and enraptured by his presence.”
Diana Flutur
Conference Director
IAA Global
“A good speaker communicates but a great speaker connects. As an MC, applause usually signals the end of one speech and is my cue to get back on stage. Chris is a different breed of speaker – his story is so authentic and inspiring that he received multiple applause breaks throughout his speech. A particularly impressive feat especially given that he was addressing 5000+ predominantly German business professionals after they had already been wowed by President Obama earlier at that same event. I’ve been a professional Event MC and host to over 500 events around the world and I must say Chris is a truly gifted speaker and genuinely beautiful soul.”
DanRam
Master of Ceremonies
“Chris was an inspiring and sincere keynote speaker. His talk was very engaging … the audience was fascinated by his personal insights on entrepreneurship and business strategy. Very on point, with a convincing message!”
Thomas Mosch
Head of CEBIT d!talk
CEBIT
“Chris Barton is an incredibly engaging speaker-our enthusiastic YPO’ers were very inspired by his accomplishments and foresight. His personal insights on business development and strategies to strengthen bonds within the fraternity were enlightening, and a definite take home learning for us. In fact his motivational speech left us hungry for more! Sincerely wish him the very best as he spreads his vibrant energy across the globe to truly reach greater heights!”
Shrenik Chowdhary
YPO India
“Chris was awesome. Some of the feedback from our executives in attendance included: Powerful message…Loved the message about starting with the end user and working backwards… and Very inspirational”
Sarah Lietz
Chief Experience Officer
Members Development Company
“Chris is a charismatic speaker who shared his inspiring story of how a seemingly impossible dream with insurmountable obstacles eventually came to life. In a very personal and honest tone, Chris shared the many lessons learned from the challenges of creating Shazam – from the power of persuasion and convincing people to believe in their project to building credibility and sharing their passion. The overall message was very inspiring and uplifting and our audience at our UNLEASH show loved having him as a speaker!”
Marc Coleman
Founder & CEO
UNLEASH Group
“Chris’s keynote completely captivated our audience of 1700+ SAP customers, partners, and employees. His talk was truly entertaining and inspiring. Our audience’s perception of entrepreneurial innovation was completely transformed.”
Michael Locher-Tjoa
Managing Director
SAP Switzerland
#FDDAY "How we overcame challenges that nearly shut out our business down" with Chris Barton co-founder of @Shazam pic.twitter.com/iWOAe1D1TT
— Adeline Folléa-Fleury (@adelineduracell) September 25, 2018
"It's what you are doing when you have ZERO dollars in funding that really matters..." Chris Barton from @Shazam on bootstrapping it. @bitsandpretzels #bits19 #inspiration pic.twitter.com/6uF0p21wSU
— Oliver Durrer (@OliverDurrer) September 29, 2019
Fantastic insights from Chris Barton of @Shazam to kick of the @WebSummit. #WebSummit2019 pic.twitter.com/OIA9XjoBSf
— Ignition Law (@IgnitionLaw) November 5, 2019
“One of our biggest lessons building #Shazam is that Simple is hard!” Chris Barton @Shazam #Founder #SouthSummit2019 #Shazam 👏👏👏👏 Great talk!! pic.twitter.com/hLUY6y24Bo
— Cristina Peñaloza (@cristinapm18) October 3, 2019
Chris Barton, Founder of @Shazam kicks of his session at #UNLEASH18 with a song for us to Shazam! pic.twitter.com/sfGki2rmmv
— HRZone (@HRZone) October 23, 2018
"The number one determinant of entrepreneurial success is persistence." - Chris Barton, co-founder of @Shazam http://t.co/DrZN6vWLLf
— Inc. (@Inc) February 12, 2014
‚The first challenge we faced was that its impossible.‘ Chris Barton founder of @Shazam reflects on being ahead of your time at @bitsandpretzels #BITS19 pic.twitter.com/2W8eorDRGc
— Laura Schroeder (@WorkGal) September 29, 2019
How do you win over all of your doubters? @Shazam's Chris Barton gave an inspiring keynote on the ultimate sell: convincing people. #UNLEASH18 pic.twitter.com/ErtliC5DcM
— UNLEASH (@UNLEASHgroup) October 23, 2018
"Putting in an extra 1% every day makes a big difference": Chris Barton from @Shazam sharing his story #slush2016 pic.twitter.com/wbz7cIXIYQ
— Jenny Wolfram (@JennyWolfram) December 1, 2016
Very inspiring speech today from Chris Barton @shazam @joinstationf https://t.co/xGlbGSj4Nb
— Katia Hilal (@katiahilal) September 26, 2018
Just back from an impressive #SAPNOW Basel! Favourite quote: “The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do”(Chris Barton, @Shazam Founder). It‘s the essence for #digitaltransformation: Not technology but people, their #mindset & perseverance are decisive! pic.twitter.com/wfkzCKPyHp
— Kerstin Köder (@KerstinKoeder) April 4, 2019
Very inspiring keynote by Chris Barton, founder of @Shazam at #SAPNOW #SAPCampusBasel in Basel, Switzerland about facing challenges and turning them into opportunities. pic.twitter.com/Ag8ysczu2s
— Clemens Link (@ClemensLink) April 3, 2019
Just @shazam it! At it since 2008 🎵 with Chris Barton, Co-Founder #Shazam pic.twitter.com/wsAV93OJVT
— Taruna Seth (@taruna_seth) November 8, 2019
#WebSummit via @akwyz 'The real breakthrough idea was what if you could identify a song from the ambient sound of the air.'
— Smartization (@smartization) November 6, 2019
Co-founder of @Shazam, Chris Barton speaking about the idea behind Shazam live on Startup University at pic.twitter.com/hsBtRZj6Nz https://t.co/9cR9ER5CJd
"All entrepreneurs have periods of bad days or months. For @Shazam it was 6 years." Chris Barton is one persistent guy! #slush16 #slushmusic
— Slush (@SlushHQ) December 1, 2016
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