Top Innovation Speakers
- By Declan McManus
- Apr 12, 2023
Innovation speakers inspire your employees to think outside of the box and come up with new, creative, inspiring ideas. While it can be easier to do things the same way over and over, it’s also a key to becoming boring and getting stuck in ruts that are hard to break out of. Hire one of our top innovation speakers to delight and inspire your employees, team, or organization.
1. Sara Frasca
What makes Sara Frasca a top innovation speaker? It’s in her title. She’s the VP of Innovation at Platypus Labs. It’s her job to help businesses and organizations inspire teams that use their imaginations and innovative ideas to solve problems through creativity. Her “The Journey of Innovation” talk is a crowd-pleaser.
2. Chris Barton
Even if you don’t know the name Chris Barton, you’ve likely used one of his innovative creations. He’s the inventor of Shazam, the app that provides the title and artist of songs you hear and want to know more about. His latest innovative project uses AI at swimming pools to detect potential drownings.
3. Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki is a keynote speaker specializing in innovation. He’s the author of “The Art of the Start” and Chief Evangelist of Canva after holding the same role at Apple. He’s a master at showing others how to dream up innovative services and products.
4. Safi Bahcall
Safi Bahcall is the author of “Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries.” He’s an expert in innovation and leadership in teams, groups, and companies.
5. Lisa Bodell
Lisa Bodell is a keynote speaker who talks about innovation with more than 100,000 people each year. She’s the CEO of FutureThink and is on the list of the “Top 50 Speakers Worldwide.” She’s especially knowledgeable on topics like inspiring change, being innovative, and acquiring the tools to achieve them both.
Daniel Burrus has delivered more than 3,000 keynote speeches on disruptive innovation. He’s offered guidance to companies like Google, the U.S. Department of Defense, and Visa and has two bestsellers on innovation, including “The Anticipatory Organization” and “Flash Foresight.”
She’s nicknamed “The Creativity Whisperer For the C-Suite.” Natalie Nixon is a creativity strategist and keynote speaker specializing in innovation, the future of work, and creativity. Real Leaders named her one of the “Top 50 Keynote Speakers in the World for 2022.”
8. Mick Ebeling
Mick Ebeling is one of Fortune Magazine’s “Top 50 World’s Greatest Leaders'' and one of The Creativity 50’s “World’s Most Influential Creative People.” He’s the founder and CEO of Not Impossible, an organization that focuses on social innovation using the belief that nothing is impossible. He’s a 2x “SXSW Innovation of the Year'' award winner and 2x “Tribeca Disruptive Innovation” award winner.
9. Suneel Gupta
Suneel Gupta is the founder and CEO of the wellness company RISE where the focus is to help people establish sustainable life and work habits. He helps teams and leaders find better ways to work that rely on innovation, productivity, and fulfillment on those sustainable levels. The New York Stock Exchange calls him “The New Face of Innovation.”
10. Shane Snow
Shane Snow is the author of three bestselling books, including “The Storytelling Edge.” He’s in high demand for his keynote speakers on innovation, problem-solving, teamwork, and human nature.
11. Mark Coopersmith
Mark Coopersmith’s talks help people and organizations find ways to inspire positivity, innovation, and growth as entrepreneurs and big businesses. He’s gained his insight building several businesses, including the e-commerce startup WebOrder which was sold to Google.
12. Charlene Li
Her expertise in digital transformation, leadership, and the future of work helped shape Charlene Li into an amazing innovation speaker. She’s the author of several books including “The Disruption Mindset.” As one of Inc’s “Top 50 Leadership Innovators” and Fast Company’s “One of the Most Creative People In Business,” her knowledge of innovation is undeniable.
Kaihan Krippendorff is the award-winning author of “Driving Innovation From Within: A Guide For Internal Entrepreneurs.” He’s the founder of Outthinker, and his innovations and strategies have brought in more than $2.5 billion for companies ranging from Citibank to Viacom.
14. Erik Qualman
He’s the mastermind behind “Socialnomics,” a research-based book on the impact of social media on consumers and businesses. Erik Qualman is an expert on future trends, innovation, leadership, digital leadership, and digital transformation. Book him to talk to your audience about these topics with keynotes like “Innovation by Design: Becoming the Disruptor vs. the Disrupted.”
Dr. David Fajgenbaum went from being a college quarterback to someone battling Castleman disease (a rare condition that increases your risk of cancer and can damage your organs) and almost dying five times. He established the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network to help save his life and others. He’s on Forbes 30 Under 30 list and is a STAT News selection for one of the “Top Innovations in Science and Medicine.”
16. Dan Seewald
Dan Seewald is the CEO of Deliberate Innovation, a firm specializing in corporate innovation. He was the head of Pfizer’s World Wide Innovation Group and wrote for “Innovation Leader and People Science.” Dan is also a certified Creative Problem Solver facilitator and Design Thinking coach.
17. Erica Dhawan
Erica Dhawan is the author of “Get Big Things Done: The Power of Connectional Intelligence” and “Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection.” She’s an expert in teamwork, building a culture of trust, and using innovation to inspire teams to engage and compete.
Gabor George Burt built the Slingshot Framework, which has helped businesses increase growth by up to 300%. He excels in re-imagining boundaries and transforming through creativity. He helped American Express partner with Walmart to establish a new business. He’s an EU Innovation Venture Award and co-hosted the first Arab Innovation Forum.
19. Scott Klososky
Scott Klososky is the founding partner of Future Point of View. He’s a knowledgeable speaker on digital transformation and innovative thinking. He’s talked to audiences around the world about his creations like the HUMALOGY Scale, a method to measure the level of human and machine involvement in processes and systems. Another innovative company was Alkami Technology, a 2nd generation online banking platform with innovative technology that has not been seen before.
20. Tom Koulopoulos
Tom Koulopoulos founded Delphi Group and Acrovantage Ventures, a firm that invests in tech startups. He’s also worked as Babson College Center for Business Innovation’s executive director and at the Dell Innovation Lab. Book him to talk about “Gigatrends,” the seven tech trends that will change your life.
21. Nir Bashan
He ranks fourth on the list of “Best Keynote Speaker in Marketing in the U.S.” Nir Bashan worked with celebrities and realized that they do one thing that anyone can do. They use “repeatable and predictable innovation and creativity” to build their popularity. He teaches his audience how to use the same tactics to build sales, revenues, and clientele.
22. Linda Bernardi
Linda Bernardi is the co-founder and CEO of XdMind Inc., a firm that uses AI to adapt music to video games. She excels in the “Art of Imagination,” which she calls the first step to innovation. With her talks, she helps you see how to create and adopt new innovative thoughts in your life and in business.
23. Josh Linkner
Josh Linkner has a reputation as a “Creative Thinker.” He believes that every person can be creative and innovative. He’s used that belief to start many of his own companies, including ePrize and Detroit Venture Partners, a company where he worked with Magic Johnson. He’s currently the co-founder and Chairman of Platypus Lab, a firm specializing in training and innovation research.
24. Alex Banayan
He’s the author of “The Third Door,” which makes him the youngest bestselling business author in U.S. history. He uses that book’s framework to show how to build success by overcoming fear and embracing creativity. His framework has helped companies like Apple, Disney, Google, IBM, and many others. Alex Banayan is on Forbes 30 Under 30 list and was named one of Business Insider’s “Most Powerful People Under 30.”
25. Jonas Kjellberg
It’s very likely that you use one of Jonas Kjellberg’s innovative apps every week. He’s the co-creator of Skype. He’s also the founder of Campus Mobile and Optimal Telecom and Player.io, which he sold to Yahoo. He’s now running Gear Up Ventures, an entrepreneur and innovation model that’s detailed in his “Gear Up: Test Your Business Potential and Plan Your Path to Success.”
26. Ian Beacraft
Ian Beacraft is the founder and chief futurist of Signal and Cipher, and he uses his expertise to advise many of the world’s most innovative businesses on creation, innovation, and culture change. While he’s busy with that and his talks at events like SXSW, he also co-owns a production studio that creates virtual worlds.
27. John Coyle
Not only is John Coyle an Olympic medalist, but he’s also a talented executive, NBC sports analyst, award-winning author, and renowned expert in design thinking, innovation, resiliency, and time perception. He’s given keynote speeches around the world and has repeat clients like American Airlines, Cisco, Google, Kellogg, and many others.
28. Mitch Lowe
Back in the 1980s, Mitch Lowe established the Video Droid chain in Northern California. This start in video rentals landed him the position of VP of Business Development and Strategic Alliance for Netflix’s first five years in business. He helped establish some of Netflix’s biggest moves, such as Best Buy and DVD manufacturer partnerships. He left Netflix and joined McDonald’s Ventures, where he helped with the creation of DVD vending machines known by all as Redbox. He’s remained at the top of his game innovating how people rent and watch movies.
29. Ozan Varol
Ozan Varol’s expertise in critical thinking, creativity, and innovation has landed him spots at some of the world’s largest events and conferences. At the age of 17, he moved to the U.S., after teaching himself English, and majored in astrophysics at Cornell. His talks are filled with humor and the “a-ha” moments he’s known for.
30. Juliet Funt
Juliet Funt is the CEO and founder of her self-named efficiency firm, Juliet Funt Group. She excels at freeing a workplace from busy work. She received high praise for her talk at one of the world’s largest speaking events, and she’s worked with major players in the business world like Costco, Nike, Pepsi, and Wells Fargo.
31. Dag Kittlaus
He’s the co-founder and CEO of Viv and the world’s first virtual assistant you know as Siri. Siri was acquired by Apple in 2010. His innovation has helped open the world to connecting with AI in order to talk to devices. Another of his innovations was Screen3, a consumer mobile application. Throughout his 10+ years in the technology sector, he’s been a leader in innovation.
32. Thom Mayer
Thom Mayer is the NFL Player Association’s medical director and founder of Best Practices, an emergency physician group. During the COVID pandemic, his innovative nature shined as he implemented COVID guidelines to ensure the 2020 NFL season did not get canceled. He’s also the innovator behind NFL concussion guidelines.
33. Jay Ward
He’s the Creative of Franchise at Pixar and consults on all Cars-related projects around the world. If you’ve visited Cars Land at Disney’s California Adventure Park or visited the Pixar Motorama, you’ve experienced one of Jay Ward’s innovative ideas in person.
Vijay Govindarajan was the first Chief Innovation Consultant at General Electric. He co-wrote “How GE Is Disrupting Itself,” an article that introduced reverse innovation, which is the innovation that’s adopted first in a developing world. He won the ‘Breakthrough Innovation Award” in 2011 and “Most Contributions to the Understanding of Innovation” in 2019.
35. Caleb Gardner
Caleb Gardner is a founding partner in 18 Coffees, an innovation consulting agency. He’s an innovation strategist and expert in change management. Through his work, he’s helped companies like Comcast and SiriusXM manage change in ways that help with growth and success.
36. Kim Perell
Kim Perell believes in a hands-on approach with her talks and keynote presentations. She was just 23 when she founded her first company and led it to become a $100 million company. She sold one of her companies to Singtel for $235 million. One of her keynotes, “Pivoting to Success: How to Make Business Pivots That Pay Off,” shows how innovation and change are essential to success.
37. Gary Oppenheimer
As a master gardener, Gary Oppenheimer’s role in ending food waste isn’t surprising. He’s given two TEDx Talks on hunger, food waste, and disruptive innovation. He’s a member of the James Beard Foundation Food Waste Advisory Board and believes that “to do the impossible, you must first believe it isn’t.”
38. Brian Solis
Brian Solis is “one of the 21st-century business world’s leading thinkers” according to ZDNet. He’s spent two decades studying the effects of digital transformation, creative innovation, UX/UI, Web3, AI, and other emerging technologies on human behavior and businesses. With more than 60 papers on these topics, he’s an expert innovation speaker.
39. Dr. Yvonne Cagle
Dr. Yvonne Cagle has been the innovative liaison for Google and several other tech companies. She’s a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and NASA Working Group member. Through her work, she went to Russia to help create international medical standards and procedures for astronauts. Her experience and awards showcase her innovative nature.
40. Chester Elton
If you want to encourage inspiration, enhance your company’s culture, and drive change in meaningful ways, Chester Elton is a great choice for our next talk or event. He’s the bestselling author of books like “All In” or “The Carrot Principle.” Global Guru’s named him one of the “World’s Top Leadership and Organizational Change Experts.” He excels at helping organizations and companies engage and excite their employees.
41. Michael Rogers
Michael Rogers is the futurist-in-residence for The New York Times. He owns the consultancy Practice Futurist to help businesses and organizations embrace the future for change. Among his popular keynotes includes “Management Meets the Future: The Innovation Challenge” and “Artificial Intelligence Will Change…Everything!”
42. Rania Hoteit
Rania Hoteit is an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, and leader. She’s been recognized by the UN, UK Parliament, and White House. She’s the founder and CEO of ID4A Technologies and was awarded Corporate Vision’s ‘Technology Innovator Award for Best Automated Manufacturing Technology Company in the USA.”
43. John Rossman
John Rossman is the Managing Partner at Rossman Partners and uses his skills as a former Amazon executive to help others embrace competition using innovative ideas in the digital world. He gives keynotes on innovation by sharing his experience building the Amazon marketplace.
44. Joey Gonzalez
Joey Gonzalez is the Global CEO of the cardio and strength interval workout system known as Barry. He started as a client and then as a trainer. His in-depth understanding of the system brought him to his position as CEO. When the Coronavirus pandemic hit, he came up with new ideas and ways to keep the business going, including the Barry’s X digital product and The Academy loyalty program. He’s on Fast Company’s “Most Creative People” list.
45. Jeff Fromm
Jeff Fromm specializes in consumer trends in the realm of innovation and branding. He’s spoken at hundreds of events across the globe. He strives to show others how to use innovation in marketing in creative, memorable ways.
46. Katie Linendoll
Katie Linendoll is a technology expert who runs her own production company. Because she owns and runs it, she’s able to go anywhere to shoot, produce, and edit tech stories from any location, even if that location is 63 feet underwater. She started coding and getting network certifications at the age of 12 and is one of the first females to make contributions to the tech industry.
47. Daniel Kraft, MD
Dr. Daniel Kraft is an Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow. He’s also the founder and chair of Exponential Medicine, which embraces the growth of innovation and technology in biomedicine and the healthcare industry. He’s given multiple TED and TEDMed talks and has given many keynotes on his innovation in medical expertise.
48. Aaron Tilton
Aaron Tilton is the co-founder of SmartFi, a platform for generating wealth and understanding the world of crypto. He’s helping plan and develop a major nuclear plant project in the U.S. He’s a leading force in the world of innovation and development and brings his experience to his talks on innovation.
49. Jack Shaw
Three decades of experience in innovation and change management is part of Jack Shaw’s expertise. He’s had more than 30 years of helping organizations transform and adapt to changing technology. He’s spoken to almost 300,000 professionals and leaders on the use of technology for innovation, change, and transformation.
50. Dr. Kirk Borne
Dr. Kirk Borne is the Chief Science Officer for the artificial intelligence startup Data Prime, Inc. He’s also the owner/founder of Data Leadership Group, LLC. Before that, he was a George Mason University professor and co-founded the world’s first Data Science undergrad degree program. He specializes in AI and the use of emerging digital technologies for innovation.
51. Steven Bartlett
Steven Bartlett is the CEO of The Social Chain, a company specializing in building brands that have meaning in people’s lives. He thinks outside the box using social media, technology, and innovative ideas that avoid traditional marketing techniques. The Social Chain has helped clients like Apple, Coca-Cola, and Nokia with their branding.
52. Andrea Iorio
Andrea Iorio was the Head of Tinder (Latin America), the Chief Digital Officer at L’Oreal Brazil, and is currently an MBA professor at Fundacao Dom Cabral. He’s an expert in leadership, innovation, soft skills, and digital transformation and has given over 200 keynote speeches on those topics.
53. Radha Agrawal
Radha Agrawal is the co-founder, CEO, and Chief Community Architect for Daybreaker, a global dance, music, and wellness movement with close to 500,000 members. Prior to that, she co-founded several other wellness businesses. She’s won several awards for entrepreneurship and disruptive innovation.
54. Deborah Metts
Deborah Metts is a brand storyteller, global educator, and technologist in the marketing/E-commerce realm of luxury retail branding. She specializes in innovation, SaaS, and startup management and has more than a decade of experience in those fields.
55. Gitanjali Rao
It’s easy to see why Gitanjali Rao is a popular choice for innovation speaking. She’s an EPA Presidential Award recipient for her innovative lead contamination detector. She also invented Epione, a tool used to diagnose opioid addiction in the earliest moments, and Kindly, an AI and Natural Language processing tool to detect cyberbullying.
56. Jeff Havens
Jeff Havens is a business growth expert with more than 1,000 speeches under his belt. His charismatic, engaging talks on innovation invigorate audiences while providing the insight they need to heighten creative thinking from new perspectives.
57. Maher Mezher
He’s a well-known expert in innovation. Maher Mezher is the founder and CEO of Innovators League, and the inventor of Innovators Tool, an innovative app that helps turn creative ideas into real innovations. He’s also the inventor of the Become An Innovator Methodology, helping grow employee engagement and business revenue.
58. Julie Austin
Julie Austin is the CEO of Creative Innovation Group. She’s given keynote speeches on innovation to companies like Northrop Grumman, Novartis, and Procter & Gamble. She’s one of our most popular innovation keynote speakers.
59. David Burke
Chef David Burke is a respected and innovative chef with two James Beard Best Chef nominations, a Japan Nippon Award for Excellence, and Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Diplôme d’Honneur winner – the only U.S. winner! You often see him on “Top Chef.” His innovative ideas landed him several patents, including the use of Himalayan salt for dry-aging beef.
Norwegian Kine and Einy Paulsen are known as the "twinpreneurs" who run Kinfizz, a firm that helps companies around the world build marketing strategies in chaotic times. They specialize in momentum growth and innovation and have been featured in Entrepreneur, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal.
Once you’ve narrowed down a list of potential speakers, reach out and discuss your schedule and goals. Our top innovation speakers are perfect for helping inspire, motivate, and engage their audience.
