A mobile tech industry pioneer, Katie McMahon has been at the forefront of working with emerging technologies that change the way people interact with connected devices. She drove the global, mass-market adoption of mobile music recognition during the rise of the touch-screen interface era (smartphones) and is currently responsible for SoundHound Inc.’s consumer business, helping to shape the emerging voice-interface era.
At SoundHound Inc., the Silicon Valley-based company creating and productizing sound search technologies, McMahon has driven the launches of Hound, the new voice search and assistant app, and the Houndify platform which enables a natural, conversational voice technology and AI interface for connected devices. Prior to joining the executive team at SoundHound, Katie was Vice President of Business Development at Shazam, where she created and led the company’s mobile strategy from 2004 through 2009, including the product launch on the iPhone and distribution and marketing deals with OEMs and global carriers. Prior to Shazam, McMahon was Founder & CEO of Westport Communications Inc., a mobile virtual network operator selling mobile data service and hardware, in Tokyo. In 2002, she was recognized as the first western woman to launch a technology company in Japan. Her career in mobile began at Japan Communication Inc. She has been named to the by Mobile Entertainment as one of the Top 50 Women in mobile content and the Silicon Valley Top 50. McMahon is on the Board of Directors of uBeam, a wireless power company, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Lawrenceville School. She graduated with high distinction from the University of Virginia, with a degree in Political & Social Thought and was a member of UVa’s NCAA Division I national championship-winning women’s lacrosse team.
