Add to my list
Videos

DHIRAJ MUKHERJEE

Shazam Co-founder & “Tech for Good” investor

  • Shazam has been downloaded 2 billion times 
  • Shazam was acquired by Apple in 2017 for a reported $400 million
  • Recognized by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s Top 50 technology entrepreneurs in 2015
  • Elected a member of The Digital Banking Club’s “Power 50” in 2016
  • Now an active angel investor focused on emerging technologies and “Tech for Good”, has invested in over 250 cutting-edge companies from climate tech to AI, including OpenAI (creators of ChatGPT)
     

Dhiraj Mukherjee is the Co-founder of Shazam Entertainment, the world’s first mobile phone-based music recognition service. 

Dhiraj built Shazam from the original idea into an iconic global brand with over 2 billion downloads. He led Shazam’s successful launch, navigated two financial crises, raised tens of millions in funding, and learned all about hypergrowth. He was named one of Europe’s Top 50 technology entrepreneurs by the Financial Times. Since Shazam’s sale to Apple for a reported $400M, he has invested in many high-growth start-ups and scale-ups. Dhiraj’s expertise is building adaptable organizations ready to create an inflection point in the future.

He is now an international keynote speaker on emerging technology, climate action and the workforce of the future. As a Tech for Good investor, Dhiraj has a front-row view of the future. He has invested in over 250 cutting-edge companies from climate tech to AI, including OpenAI (creators of ChatGPT).

Earlier in his career, Dhiraj has advised dozens of blue-chip companies including PWC, Unilever, UBS, Eli Lilly, Citibank, and Intel. He has an MBA from Stanford Business School and a BA from Dartmouth College.

Dhiraj has always been an explorer of the future. His insights from the front line of business are a mix of inspiration, humor, and practical advice.

Dhiraj tailors each presentation to the needs of his audience and is not limited to the topics listed below. Please ask us about any subject that interests you;

  • Innovation
  • Disruptive thinking
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Leadership 
  • Emerging Technology 
  • Climate Action 
  • Workforce of the future
     

How to Adapt to the Future

From his experience at Shazam, Dhiraj found that the best way to predict the future is to create it. He has now invested in over 250 cutting-edge startups in AI, climate tech and other emerging technology. Dhiraj believes that we all need to dream big to create the future we want to be part of. Today’s leaders must learn while they lead, and lead as they learn. How can we transform ourselves and transform our organizations? The key is embracing uncertainty: learning to be good at what we aren’t doing yet. Drawing on decades of experience, he shares proven methods for re-inventing business and building lasting success.

Secrets of Shazam’s success

Dhiraj tells the story of founding Shazam in 2000 - long before smart phones existed - to selling to Apple in 2018 for a reported $400M. He describes the roller-coaster ride from idea to exit, surviving the dotcom crash and the great financial crisis to become an iconic global brand. The lessons learned in tenacity, teamwork and resilience apply to any business aspiring to re-define their industry.
 

GenAI and emerging technology

Just as Shazam transformed the music industry, GenAI and emerging technology will transform business beyond recognition. The question is: how will we transform ourselves? Dhiraj shares his insights into building businesses which positively thrive on uncertainty. The key is to actively design a fluid organisation, ready to embrace the challenges of business reinvention. Drawing on decades of experience, he shares proven methods for building foresight, embedding innovation, and leading in an age of hypergrowth.
 

RELATED SPEAKERS

LLUIS SOLDEVILA

Creator of Personal SWOT TM , expert in boosting High-Performance attitudes and accelerating...

NANDO PARRADO

Leader of the famous plane crash survival story in the Andes mountains in 1972, selected in...

FLAVIA SANTORO

President of ProColombia (2018 – 2022), the international promotion agency of Colombia