Cultural Diversity Roster

Find a Presenter

speaker

Jeff Ma

Jeff Ma

Member of the Infamous MIT Blackjack Team & VP, Microsoft for Startups

As a member of the infamous MIT Blackjack Team, Jeff Ma created an ingenious method for counting cards—using talent.

See Below for Full Bio

Categories :

Add To My Speakers List Request Availabilty
[Sassy_Social_Share]

Bio

Full Bio

As a member of the infamous MIT Blackjack Team, Jeff Ma created an ingenious method for counting cards—using talent, creativity, math, and teamwork to win millions in Las Vegas. (Card-counting, by the way, is not illegal; casinos just don’t like it). Ma was the inspiration for the best-selling book Bringing Down the House and the hit movie, 21, which topped the box office in its first two weeks.

He has since helped start four different companies including CircleLending (sold to Virgin) and Citizen Sports (sold to Yahoo) and became a sought-after corporate speaker. In 2012, Ma founded a company called tenXer with the vision to revolutionize human capital management by using data and analytics to create better management, recruiting and evaluation tools. In April of 2015, tenXer was acquired by Twitter. Ma then became the Senior Director of Business Insights at Twitter. He is currently VP at Microsoft for Startups, a free, global program dedicated to helping B2B startups successfully scale their companies.

Beyond his work as an entrepreneur, Ma has been a pioneer in the “Moneyball” movement working with professional sports teams like the San Francisco 49ers and the Portland Trail Blazers and media powerhouses like ESPN and Major League Baseball Advanced Media, helping them to make better decisions using data and analytics. His most recent book, The House Advantage: Playing the Odds to Win Big in Business draws on his unique experiences at the table and in the sports world to create a truly accessible book about analytics.

His time in Vegas, in sports and as an entrepreneur make him one of the leading speakers on how big data is changing the world. Ma’s speeches are entertaining, accessible and informative as he weaves tales of winning millions of dollars at the tables with discussing stats with the like of Jerry West, Billy Beane and Bill Walsh with stories of how avoiding cognitive biases can grow your business. Audiences across the globe have listened intently to Ma tell a story and deliver a message that no one else can.

Check Availability

MM slash DD slash YYYY
Check Availability for

Topics

Topics

The $100,000 Lesson: Business Lessons from the World of Blackjack

How to Win with Data

Playing the Hand You’re Dealt: The Man Behind 21 on Finding the Path to Your Future

Videos

Videos

The House Advantage: Playing the Odds to Win Big | Jeffrey Ma | Talks at Google
Jeff Ma - Keynote Presentation

Books

Please Contact Us For More Information

News

Please Contact Us For More Information

TESTIMONIALS

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

The American Psychological Association was thrilled to have Dr. Antonia Novello as our speaker for the 2024 APA Convention. Dr. Novello was fantastic, and her presentation was a tremendous success. Thank you, Peter, for all your hard work in making this event such a resounding success.

American Psychological Association

For our annual Native American Heritage Month celebration, PDA Group arranged for John Echohawk to join us for a virtual moderated discussion. The program was thoughtful, engaging, and highly impactful for our audience of lawyers and professional staff. We are grateful for their partnership and look forward to working with them again.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

We have partnered with PDA Group on multiple successful events, including our charity luncheon with Lisa Edelstein and our Women’s Philanthropy Kickoff Event featuring Allegra Goodman. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to excellence make them an outstanding partner. Thank you for your exceptional work and continued support.

UJA-Federation

We have received so much fantastic feedback following our virtual event. It was an absolute success, and Sylvia Fowles was excellent. Thank you again to Sylvia and the entire team for your partnership!”

U.S. Bank

Kurt Warner was spectacular—he completely wowed the audience and solidified major leadership points. He was an amazing partner, and we will be talking about this experience for years to come. We will definitely leverage the PDA team for all of our speaking needs!”

Sysco Corporation

The events over the past two years went very well — everyone had a great time with Dr. Mark Esper in 2025, and Sam Hinkie led a very engaging Q&A with our Principal, Jean Reynolds, in 2024. Thank you for working with us these last two years; your support has been instrumental to the success of our programs!

Investcorp Strategic Capital Group

It was an absolute privilege to have Dr. Sanjay Gupta as our keynote speaker for the 2026 GME Leadership Conference. He delivered an outstanding address that resonated deeply and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room. The entire planning process was seamless and collaborative. It was a pleasure working together, brainstorming suggestions, and ultimately selecting the perfect fit for our event. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

HCA Healthcare

We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

Salt Lake Community College

It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

Western Michigan University

On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can’t wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

Ferris State University

GET IDEAS

1 Hour or Less
914-940-0075 "America's Entertainment Leader"