First Funders

What do you get when you mix U.S. national security, angel investing, and kids’ pajamas? Atlee Clark. Proud Canadian Atlee took a hard pivot from the public sector to the tech world, first through a nonprofit called the C100, which supports entrepreneurs, and later at Shopify, focusing on 0 - 1 initiatives. Similar to other angel collectives emerging at the time like Hashtag Angels and Operator Collective, Atlee tapped into her executive network at Shopify to connect with other female leaders who were looking to invest on the side. 

What began as informal conversations about investing and advising after the working day coalesced into Backbone Angels, a collection of executive tech women sourcing angel opportunities collectively and making investments individually. Backbone was started in 2021 and has amassed a portfolio of over 40 early-stage startups, including Bird&Be, 1Password, and Blume.

Atlee tells us what it’s like to balance functioning as a cohesive unit while making individual investment decisions. Plus, we get to hear about her journey as a small business owner and what motivates her to invest in what she wants to see in the world. 

Atlee writes angel checks of $10k to $20k, ideally at the friends and family round or at pre-seed, focusing on startups that address challenges for parents, small business owners, and Big Tech execs—three areas she intimately understands as the end user. Backbone Angels focuses on companies led by Black, Indigenous, and Women-led startups. 

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