2027 Roster
Keynote Speakers for Hire
The people on this roster built products your audience already uses, from Siri to Shazam. Tell us about your 2027 event and we'll come back within 24 hours with two or three names and real fee ranges.
Get a Shortlist15 keynote speakers available to book for 2027
Open any card for the speaker's talks and video.
Shannon Rowbury
First woman in US history to medal in the Olympic 1500-meter race
Zach Rattner
AI Founder & CTO with physical industry customers in 20+ countries
Adam Cheyer
Co-Creator of Siri and 5x founder at the intersection of AI and human potential
Philip Lakin
Director of AI Transformation at Zapier and the operator companies call when AI adoption stalls, with 1,000+ hours turning enterprise teams from AI-curious to AI-capable
Maya Ackerman
CEO of WaveAI & AI Professor at Santa Clara University
Milly Tamati
Founder of Generalist World, who built a 150,000-person global movement from a Scottish island with 191 residents
Chris Barton
Founder & Creator of Shazam, Entrepreneur, Inventor, and Tech Investor
Mo Tiwari
Google DeepMind researcher and Stanford CS PhD bridging AI research with real-world impact
Drue Kataoka
Visual AI pioneer who has keynoted at Davos, Milken Global, the Vatican Academy of Pontifical Sciences, and the world's most prestigious stages
Abigail Posner
Anthropologist & Former Director, U.S. Creative Works at Google | Becoming Irreplaceable in an AI World
David Homan
USA Today Best-Selling Author and Speaker on Trust, Relationship Value, Human Connection, and Ethical AI
Ethan Monkhouse
Founder of Monkhouse & Partners and Head of AI at Knightox; runs his companies on the AI systems he builds
Matthew Spence
Four-time finisher of the 29029 Everesting Challenge, turning one extraordinary climb into leadership lessons for thriving at the edge of uncertainty
Nicole Malachowski
First Woman Thunderbird Pilot, Combat Veteran, Fighter Squadron Commander & Former White House Adviser
Suneel Gupta
Founding CEO of RISE & Bestselling Author of Backable | Harvard Medical School Visiting Scholar
Browse keynote speakers by topic
Each topic page carries the full roster for that subject, fee guidance, and the questions we get asked most about booking it.
Keynote speaker fees for 2027
Fees below are for a 45-minute in-person keynote. Virtual runs 10 to 50% lower for the same speaker.
Emerging / niche expert
$5,000 to $15,000
Rising operators and first-time authors. Often the best value when their story fits your room.
Established professional
$15,000 to $40,000
A proven keynote track record and national recognition in a category. The most-booked range for corporate events.
Recognized thought leader
$40,000 to $75,000
Bestselling authors and category-defining founders your audience already knows by name.
Celebrity / marquee
$75,000 to $250,000+
Household names and iconic athletes. The fee buys the headline and the press as much as the talk.
For a fuller breakdown of what drives a speaker's fee, read our guide on how to hire a keynote speaker.
Which format your event needs
The same speaker costs a different amount and needs a different brief depending on where you put them. Four formats come up most, and they are not interchangeable.
Opening keynote
Goes first and sets the frame every later session gets measured against. This is the slot where a founder the room already recognizes does the most work: Chris Barton opening on how Shazam got built gives the rest of your programme something to argue with.
Panel or fireside
Moderating is a separate skill from delivering a keynote, and the same person is not always good at both. If you want a roster speaker in the moderator chair rather than as a panelist, say so when you inquire, because we shortlist differently for it.
Virtual keynote or webinar
Runs 10 to 50% below the in-person fee for the same speaker, with no travel to coordinate. Every speaker on the 2027 roster delivers with broadcast-grade audio and lighting and does the same prep call as an in-person booking. Tell us your platform and audience size and we will factor both into the shortlist.
Internal corporate session
A smaller room that wants more specificity. Sales kickoffs and leadership offsites need someone who will read your numbers before writing the talk, which is a different job from a conference keynote. Philip Lakin has put 1,000+ hours into moving enterprise teams from AI-curious to AI-capable.
What to have ready before you inquire
We come back within 24 hours with two or three names. These five answers are what make that turnaround possible.
- Your date, or the window you are choosing between if it is not locked.
- Who is in the room and at what seniority. A VP audience and an all-hands are different bookings.
- What they already believe about your topic, so the speaker can argue with it rather than repeat it.
- The one thing you want them doing differently afterwards.
- Your all-in budget, including travel and lodging rather than the speaking fee alone.
Budget is the answer people hold back most often. Give us a real number and the shortlist comes back tighter, because we would rather send you two speakers you can afford than five you cannot.
How booking works
Tell us about the event
Date, audience, and what you want people doing differently on Monday morning. That is enough for us to build a shortlist.
Get a shortlist in 24 hours
Two or three speakers matched to your audience and budget, with real fee ranges attached rather than "contact us" placeholders.
Hold the date and sign
Once you pick, we put a hold on the speaker's date and send one contract that covers the fee, travel, recording rights and cancellation. We book the speaker's travel and you approve the itinerary.
Prep call, then stage
Every speaker on our roster does a prep call with the host before the event so the talk is calibrated to your room.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to hire a keynote speaker?
For 2027 events, keynote fees run $5,000 to $15,000 for emerging and niche experts, $15,000 to $40,000 for established professionals (the most-booked corporate range), $40,000 to $75,000 for recognized thought leaders, and $75,000 to $250,000+ for celebrity and marquee names. Virtual keynotes typically run 10 to 50% below the in-person fee for the same speaker. Custom workshops and international travel add to the base fee.
How far in advance should I book a keynote speaker?
Six to twelve months for top-tier names, and three to six months for most other speakers. Two windows fill earliest every year: sales kickoff season from January through March, and the September-through-November conference rush. If your event lands in either window, double the lead time you would normally plan for.
Where can I find keynote speakers for hire?
This page lists every keynote speaker on the Silicon Valley Speakers roster, with their topics and talks. The topic pages narrow the same roster by subject, from AI and innovation to leadership and sales. If nobody here fits, tell us the outcome you want and we will find speakers who match it, including speakers who work with other bureaus.
Can I see a speaker's fee before I inquire?
Where a speaker has chosen to publish a fee range, you will find it on their profile. For everyone else, tell us your date and format and we will quote within a day.
Does it cost more to hire a keynote speaker through a bureau?
In most cases it costs nothing extra, because the speaker's fee already accounts for representation, and many speakers only take bookings through a bureau or their own management. What you get is a shortlist filtered against your audience, one contract to sign, travel handled for you, and a backup plan if a speaker has to cancel. One limit worth knowing before you budget: most bureaus don't book under $5,000.
Can we hire a keynote speaker for a virtual or hybrid event?
Yes. Every speaker on this page delivers virtual keynotes, most also do hybrid, and each one brings broadcast-grade audio and lighting plus the same prep call as an in-person booking. Tell us your platform and audience size when you inquire and we will factor both into the shortlist.
What information do you need to recommend a speaker?
Four answers get us to a shortlist fast: who is in the room and at what seniority, what they already believe about your topic, the one change you want from them after the event, and your all-in budget. The date then tells us which of those names are free.
Ready to hire a keynote speaker?
Tell us who is in the room and what you want them to walk out believing. We'll reply within 24 hours.
Start Your Inquiry