Available to book
Chris Barton
Innovation
Entrepreneurship
Disruption
Transform technological challenges into opportunities with Chris Barton, speaker and Shazam founder. Chris works with organizations to foster innovation, overcome obstacles, and identify market gaps, delivering groundbreaking solutions adopted by Apple, Google, and over 2 billion users worldwide.
Digital Expert
Entrepreneur
Thought Leader
Business Leader
Music Business
Chris Barton, founder and creator of Shazam, transforms seemingly impossible technological challenges into groundbreaking solutions that change how people interact with the world around them.
As the visionary behind Shazam, Chris developed an app downloaded over 2 billion times before becoming Apple's sixth-largest acquisition. His innovation portfolio includes 12 patents, with one incorporated into Google's search algorithm. Chris also held pivotal roles as Google's first mobile-focused employee and among Dropbox's initial 100 team members.
Chris helps organizations navigate technological transformation by demonstrating how persistence and innovative thinking overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. His journey with Shazam—from concept to global phenomenon—provides a blueprint for identifying market gaps and creating solutions that anticipate consumer needs. His current venture, Guard, applies AI to detect drowning in swimming pools, showcasing his commitment to life-changing applications.
Audiences leave Chris's presentations with practical frameworks for fostering innovation within existing structures, strategies for persevering through expert skepticism, and techniques for identifying friction points that represent business opportunities. His personal story of leveraging dyslexia as a strength particularly resonates with diverse teams.
Book Chris to inspire your team with a proven innovator who transforms "impossible" challenges into world-changing opportunities.
Topics, sessions and talks
Chris Barton, co-founder of Shazam, highlights how technology and AI are reshaping possibilities. He shares his journey of creating Shazam, despite skepticism from experts who deemed his vision impossible. His story illustrates the importance of stepping beyond familiar boundaries to innovate. In this presentation, attendees will gain insights into transforming ideas into reality and learn a new framework for driving change through technology, empowering them to envision and create future innovations.
Chris Barton emphasizes that a great idea alone is insufficient without tenacity. He illustrates how true disruption demands persistence and innovative solutions, sharing his journey in creating Shazam amidst seemingly insurmountable challenges. Rather than giving up, Chris questioned every assumption and overcame obstacles with determination. Attendees will gain actionable insights and new mindsets to challenge the status quo and navigate the details necessary for redefining the future.
Chris Barton explores why many organizations struggle to create exceptional products like Apple despite the simplicity being key. He highlights the pervasive friction that complicates processes and frustrates customers and partners. Drawing from his experience in developing Shazam and his tenure at Android and Dropbox, Chris shares compelling stories and practical examples. Attendees will learn how to identify and eliminate friction in their own organizations, ultimately driving growth and innovation.
Chris Barton understands that entrepreneurs often face challenges on their journey to success. With passion and innovative ideas, they can become stuck. Through the story of Shazam's creation, Chris shares valuable insights on overcoming obstacles, prioritizing effectively, and persuading others to embrace their vision. Attendees will learn how to adopt a mindset that fosters creativity and resilience, empowering them to build the next great companies.
Chris Barton, founder of Shazam and holder of 12 patents, transforms seemingly impossible technological challenges into groundbreaking solutions that have impacted billions of users worldwide. Book this visionary innovator to inspire your team with practical frameworks for fostering innovation and strategies for turning obstacles into world-changing opportunities.
Testimonials
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frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
Email chris.barton@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Chris's availability and fees. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and a bit about your audience.
Chris Barton structures his presentations around the founding narrative of Shazam, using it as a case study to walk audiences through a framework for identifying friction points, challenging assumptions, and converting obstacles into innovation opportunities.
Chris Barton's sessions cover turning impossible ideas into reality through technology and AI, overcoming obstacles with persistence and innovative thinking, and eliminating friction to drive organisational growth. He co-founded Shazam, an app downloaded over two billion times that became Apple's sixth-largest acquisition.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
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