Arati Sharma

Arati Sharma is an entrepreneur, angel investor, and technology leader based in Toronto, Canada. She is the Founding Partner of Backbone Angels, an investor collective led by women executives from Shopify.

Arati invests in companies and brands led by women and people of colour, with the aim of increasing representation and equitable access to resources for entrepreneurs of all backgrounds. She’s grown a portfolio of over 50 investments, including companies such as Willful, Kotn, Lilia, Three Ships, and Sheertex. She is also the Co-Founder of Ghlee, a modern-day beauty brand offering natural products rooted in South Asian tradition.

Arati was previously at Shopify for nearly a decade, building key components of the marketing function from the ground-up as one of its first hires. She was the Director of Product Marketing, responsible for global go-to market strategy and campaigns for Shopify's products and platform. Prior to that she led offline, experiential, and community marketing, and founded the company's annual conference, Shopify Unite.

When she’s not talking about founders or fashion, you can find her heads down in a new book, trying to keep her (many) plants alive, or spending time with her husband and son. Arati was named NACO Canada’s 2021 Angel of the Year.