Co-Founder of Shazam, Chris Barton gave a short interview to The Startup Clinic during the Tech Open Air 2015 hosted at Berlin, Germany.
Chris states that his core philosophy is to always focus on simplicity across everything, in terms of product design, to investors to who you are pitching to get funding.
Shazam has 4 co-founders, out of which 3 co foudneof them were brought together by Chris; 2 of them were already friends of his. To him, choosing co-founders is about sharing the core fundamental values. He chose based on skills that were complimentary to him, and integrity was key during challenging times, that they stick together, and don’t abandon ship.
according to him, the single most trait of an entrepreneur that correlates to success is perseverance, irregardless of their knowledge or experience.
Chris faced Setbacks in 2001 when Shazam was started during a tough financial time, setbacks came mainly due to financial crunch, when they were ineffective in securing funds for their product, he had to convince investors and get through.
He also mentioned that “What you believe in is questioned, people become decision makers”.
People have different opinions. To combine all the views and take the best from it and grow, even people questioned in naming shazam, but he believed in it.
On asked what his strategy for meeting potential investors, he said that the key was to meeting investors who would share his passion, as they understand the industry. Also, they would add value to your startup in terms of enhancing the idea and guide you in correct implementation of a strategy when needed.