Oscar Arias
Former President of Costa Rica & Peace Nobel Laureate
Matthew Ball
CEO, Epyllion | Venture Partner, Makers Fund | Author of The Metaverse: Building the Spatial Internet | TIME Magazine Cover Story | Senior Advisor, KKR
Matthew Ball is the world's leading theorist of the Metaverse and spatial internet — the writer Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Sweeney, and Reed Hastings all cite when explaining where the internet is going next. CEO of Epyllion, author of the international bestseller The Metaverse: Building the Spatial Internet, and author of the definitive annual State of Gaming report, he turns complex technology trajectories into strategic clarity for senior audiences worldwide.
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Matthew Ball biography
Matthew Ball is the world’s most influential theorist of the Metaverse — the Canadian entrepreneur, investor, and author whose writing shaped how an entire industry understood the next iteration of the internet before it existed. CEO of Epyllion, a diversified holding company spanning venture investment, strategic advisory, and media production, Ball also serves as Venture Partner at Makers Fund, the world’s largest gaming-focused venture fund, and Senior Advisor to KKR.
Metaverse speaker Matthew Ball first defined the concept for a mass audience through a landmark nine-part essay series that became required reading across Silicon Valley, game studios, and boardrooms. His book The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything (2022) became an instant international bestseller — endorsed by Mark Zuckerberg (“one of the most thoughtful writers about the future of computing”), Reed Hastings (“separating fact from fiction, hype from reality”), Tim Sweeney of Epic Games, Phil Spencer of Microsoft Gaming, and Kenichiro Yoshida of Sony. It won Book of the Year from The Guardian, The Economist’s Global Business Review, Financial Times China, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Ball adapted the book into the August 2022 cover story for TIME Magazine.
The Spatial Internet, Updated
In 2024, Ball released a substantially revised edition — The Metaverse: Building the Spatial Internet — with 70% new content, new chapters on AI, 3D graphics, XR devices, and blockchain, and over forty new graphics. Mark Zuckerberg endorsed the updated edition specifically: “This edition captures a bunch of the breakthroughs we’re seeing across the industry, especially around the convergence of AI and the Metaverse.”
Ball co-founded Ball Metaverse Research Partners, which maintains the index behind the Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF (NYSE: METV) — the single largest sector ETF launch of 2021. He has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, The Economist, and Time. Earlier in his career he was Head of Strategy at Amazon Studios, an executive at The Chernin Group’s Otter Media, a consultant at Accenture Strategy — and, before any of that, a full-time wildfire fighter in Canada.
As a speaker, Matthew Ball translates dense technology trajectories into strategic decisions audiences can act on. His keynotes on the Metaverse, the spatial internet, AI’s convergence with gaming and immersive media, and the state of the video game industry attract senior leaders across technology, media, entertainment, finance, and any sector navigating what comes after the current web. His annual State of Gaming report — spanning hundreds of slides — is widely cited by investors, developers, and analysts as the definitive read on where the industry stands. Book Matthew Ball through Aurum Speakers Bureau to bring that depth to your next event.
Matthew Ball Speaking Videos
A Walk Through The Metaverse with Matthew Ball
Apple vs. Meta: Who will take biggest market share in the metaverse?
Matthew Ball Keynote Topics
The hype has faded. The infrastructure investment hasn't. In this talk, Ball cuts through years of confused messaging to deliver the clearest available account of what the Metaverse and spatial internet actually are, what they are not, what has been built so far, and what breakthroughs remain. Drawing on his internationally bestselling book — endorsed by the CEOs of Meta, Epic, Netflix, Microsoft Gaming, and Sony — he explains why the race to build the successor internet is accelerating even as headlines have moved on.This session is built for senior leaders who need a grounded, technically rigorous, and strategically actionable view of a technology wave that will reshape every sector — including their own — whether or not they see it coming.
The convergence of generative AI with 3D computing is not a future scenario — it is already restructuring game engines, digital twins, simulation environments, industrial design, and spatial media. Ball traces the century-long arc of AI development that culminates in today's transformer and diffusion models, then maps the six specific ways AI will enable, accelerate, and steer the Metaverse.
For technology, media, and enterprise leaders, this session provides the analytical framework to distinguish genuine platform shifts from incremental feature releases — and to understand where the combination of AI and spatial computing creates durable competitive advantage rather than temporary excitement.
Gaming generates more annual revenue than film and music combined, commands more hours of attention than most social platforms, and serves as the primary testing ground for the technologies that will define the next decade of computing. Yet most executives, investors, and policymakers fundamentally misread it. Ball's annual State of Gaming report — a 200-plus-slide analysis widely cited across the industry — forms the backbone of this session.
He explains why growth has become elusive despite record cultural reach, how business models are shifting under pressure from new monetization formats and changing player behavior, and what the gaming industry's trajectory reveals about the future of digital platforms, immersive media, and consumer technology at large.
Every major technology platform in history has defined the rules that governed the value created on top of it. The decisions being made today by Apple, Meta, Epic, Google, Microsoft, and others about the architecture of the spatial internet — interoperability, payment rails, identity, content moderation — will determine the distribution of economic power for the next generation of computing in the same way that the decisions of the 1990s and 2000s shaped the current web.
Ball brings his unique position — as theorist, investor, and advisor to leading firms in technology, finance, and media — to map the strategic landscape of this competition. This session is built for executives who need to understand not just where the technology is going, but who controls it, who benefits, and where the leverage points are.
Ball began his career analyzing the transformation of Hollywood and media in the streaming era, and he brings that analytical foundation to the question every media and entertainment executive is now asking: what comes after the smartphone screen? Drawing on his experience as Head of Strategy at Amazon Studios, his deep knowledge of gaming as a platform, and his research on emerging XR, AI, and spatial computing technologies, he traces the likely trajectory of entertainment media through the next platform transition.
This session is built for media companies, studios, broadcasters, and brands that want a rigorous, historically grounded view of how content creation, distribution, and audience engagement will change — and what competitive positions are worth building today.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Matthew Ball
Why Matthew Ball?
Booking Matthew Ball for your event means bringing in the person who literally wrote the book — twice — on where the internet is going next. His work is cited by the CEOs of Meta, Epic Games, Netflix, Microsoft Gaming, Sony, and Coinbase as foundational to how their companies think about the future of computing. He is not a commentator covering other people's ideas; he is a primary source, an investor with skin in the game, and a rigorous analyst who publishes some of the most data-driven long-form research available on the technology industry.
On stage, Ball combines intellectual depth with the ability to make genuinely complex technology legible to senior audiences without oversimplifying it. His keynotes are customized for the sector and audience, and he regularly updates his thinking to reflect the latest developments across AI, spatial computing, gaming, and immersive media. For events focused on technology strategy, digital transformation, media, gaming, or the future of the internet, few speakers anywhere in the world bring comparable authority and analytical rigor. Aurum Speakers Bureau works directly with Matthew Ball's team and can advise on the format and topic best suited to your event.
What exactly is the Metaverse, and is it still relevant?
The Metaverse, as Ball defines it, is a persistent and interconnected network of 3D virtual worlds that will eventually serve as the gateway to most online experiences and underpin much of the physical world. It is not a single product, a headset, or a platform owned by any one company. It is the next architectural evolution of the internet — from the text-based web of the 1990s, through the mobile and social web of the 2000s and 2010s, toward an immersive, spatially rendered, always-on successor.
The hype cycle around the Metaverse peaked and fell between 2021 and 2023, but the underlying investment in enabling technologies — AI, 3D engines, XR hardware, spatial computing infrastructure — has continued to grow. Ball's 2024 updated edition, The Metaverse: Building the Spatial Internet, makes the case that the race to build this successor internet is accelerating rather than stalling, even as mainstream coverage has moved on to other topics.
Did Matthew Ball work at Amazon?
Yes. Before founding Epyllion, Ball served as the global Head of Strategy for Amazon Studios — the first person to hold that role — where he oversaw content strategy, greenlight decisions, and the use of data to inform programming across Amazon's streaming platform. Before Amazon, he was a Director at The Chernin Group's Otter Media division and a consultant at Accenture Strategy. Earlier still, in the early 2000s, he worked as a full-time wildfire fighter with Canada's provincial forestry services — a background that gives an unusual texture to one of the tech world's most analytically rigorous thinkers.
What topics does metaverse speaker Matthew Ball cover?
As a keynote speaker, Matthew Ball covers the Metaverse and spatial internet, the convergence of AI with immersive computing, the state and future of the video game industry, platform competition and the architecture of the next internet, the evolution of entertainment and media in a post-smartphone era, and digital transformation strategy for enterprises navigating these shifts. He is particularly effective for audiences in technology, media, entertainment, gaming, venture capital, finance, and any sector where understanding the trajectory of computing platforms is strategically important. Aurum Speakers Bureau can match Matthew Ball's expertise to your specific event objectives and audience.
How to book Matthew Ball as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Matthew Ball as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Matthew Ball's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Matthew Ball or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Matthew Ball speaking fee?
Matthew Ball speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Matthew Ball to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Matthew Ball.
How can I contact Matthew Ball?
We only work with Matthew Ball on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Matthew Ball and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Matthew Ball speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Matthew Ball for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Matthew Ball for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Matthew Ball is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Matthew Ball for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
