Chris Barton

About Speaker Chris Barton

How do you identify songs you don’t know? Ask a friend? Google the lyrics? Shazam it? The name Chris Barton may not ring a bell, but it should. Chris is the co-founder of Shazam, the music recognition app that changed the world forever in the early 2000’s. He is now a startup advisor and keynote speaker who touches on topics including entrepreneurship, innovation, creativity, startup strategies, the future of technology and so much more. Chris is also currently in the development stages of a new impact driven startup, Guard, that uses AI to save lives.

Chris Barton’s Shazam success story starts in the late 90’s when the world was just scratching the surface of internet and mobile phone capabilities. He made several friends in college and graduate school that he trusted. Additionally, each provided their own unique skill set that complimented his own. As a result, the friends decided that when the right idea presented itself, they would go into business together. Chris makes this a point for many of the audiences he speakers to. You don’t have to know everything! Build a team you can trust and lean on their abilities to supplement your own.

Unfortunately for Chris and his friends, their big idea came during the dot.com bust and the business was slow moving at first. Chris served as the company’s first CEO and helped raise over $140 in venture capital in addition to seeing the company through its infancy stages. It took a huge amount of patience, determination and perseverance to see their idea through to success. Yet their belief in the product drove them forward. Finally in 2008, the Shazam product experienced exponential growth thanks to the introduction of iPhone and Android app stores. Apple bought Shazam in late 2017 for $400 million. The app has over 120 million active users and still sees over 20 million “Shazams” a day.

Chris boasts a pretty impressive resume as a tech and mobile strategist. While serving as a Board Director of Shazam, he also worked at Google developing Android technology for mobile phones. He also served as head of mobile operators development at Dropbox. His constant pursuit of knowledge and dedication to his craft sets a wonderful example for the current workforce and the next generation of innovators to follow. His stories resonate with college audiences all the way up to the corporate level.

Contact Leading Motivational Speakers at info@leadingmotivationalspeakers.com to book Chris Barton for your next event.