TechTalks@Cass - Behind the Scenes of Spotify, Summly and CoinDesk
Event Info
Description
TechTalks@Cass - Behind the Scenes of Spotify, Summly, and CoinDesk
TechTalks@Cass (in partnership with Thomson Reuters) are intimate, in-depth interviews with some of the UK’s most innovative and inspirational tech entrepreneurs. Meet them up close and personal at Cass Business School, with plenty of time for your questions.
Please arrive at 6 PM for a 6.15 PM start. Afterwards, we are off to a nearby pub to continue the conversation over a few drinks.
Tech Writer Matt Cowan interviews Shakil Khan, Serial Entrepreneur
Launched in 2006, Spotify has more than 24 millions active users in 55 countries and has recieved a valuation of 4 billion for investors with the promise of once again disrupting the music business.
Summly was an app that provides timely, concise breakdowns of the most popular stories of the day. Founded in 2011 by 15 year-old Nick D'Aloisio with backing from Mr Li Ka Shing's Horizons Ventures, it was famously purchased in 2013 by Yahoo and has now been turned into the Yahoo News Digest.
CoinDesk is the world leader in news, prices and information on bitcoin and other alternative currencies. Started in order to address the lack of up-to-date information on the bitcoin ecosystem, one year later it is the world's biggest news source for digital currencies.
What do these businesses have in common? Shakil Khan, a serial entrepreneur, investor, and advisor; described by Matt as "the person who is most likely to tell you about the next big thing before anyone else," and no. 47 on Wired's latest list of top 100 digital influencers in Europe.
Shak is currently Head of Special Projects at Spotify, where he is also personal advisor to founder and CEO Daniel Ek. He has had a number of online businesses in the UK since 2000, was part of the founding team at buy.at, which was acquired by AOL, and he recently founded CoinDesk, a bitcoin news site. Shak is an early investor in BitPay, Spotify, Top10, Duedil and YPlan. Shak was also an investor and mentor to Nick D'Aloisio who built and sold Summly. Shak has done extensive volunteer work as an ambassador for charity: water, having helped raise millions of dollars for clean and safe drinking water. He is also a keen supporter and friend of Pencils of Promise, who build schools for those most in need. Having lived in China, Shak speaks Chinese (as well as English, Urdu, Punjabi, and Danish) and currently divides his time between London, San Francisco, New York and airport lounges.
Matt Cowan is the Director of Media at Nelson Bostock Communications. Previously the European Technology Correspondent for Reuters TV and contributing writer to Wired UK, Matt has interviewed many of the tech sector’s most influential figures. He’s a great storyteller and great at getting others to tell their story.
Come along to hear Matt and Shak talk about his journey and the next big thing in the tech world!
Join us and be inspired #casstechtalks
