Speakers

Chris Barton wanted a way to identify songs anywhere he heard them, so he invented the app Shazam. Shazam changed the way the world discovers music and laid the groundwork for the consumer AI industry. In addition to creating Shazam, Chris holds twelve patents and played key roles in the early days of Google and Dropbox. Chris's newest venture, Guard, aims to use AI to detect drowning in swimming pools – a never-before accomplished effort. Chris's story and storytelling captivate audiences, inspiring them to make big things happen in their organisations. Growing up, Chris struggled with academics due to undiagnosed dyslexia, but he learned to embrace it as a superpower. When he had the idea for Shazam in 2000, experts said the necessary technology was impossible. But Chris persisted, and Shazam launched in 2008, becoming one of the world's most popular apps, downloaded over 2 billion times. Chris has also made significant contributions to tech history. He was a founding member of Google's Android Partnerships team and spent four years at Dropbox, leading carrier partnerships. Amongst the 12 patents, including one found within the Google search algorithm, Chris continues to invest in a wide range of startups, from AI for health to inflammatory disease therapeutics. Today, Chris spends much of his time building Guard, his AI system that detects drowning. He also enjoys sharing lessons learned from overcoming the impossible and motivating audiences to take action.