The early-stage fund, launched by several female Shopify executives and alumni, participated in a $1.7-million round for the Toronto-based startup. Heirlume’s AI-powered platform searches and registers for trademarks. Other investors in the round included Future Capital and MaRS IAF. (The Logic)

Talking point: Backbone launched in March to support early-stage entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups, including women and non-binary founders, with a particular focus on companies led by Black, Indigenous and people of colour. Heirlume prioritizes diversity across the organization. “Heirlume aspires to be the largest Canadian tech company with a majority female-identifying tech team,” the firm said in a press release, adding that “a full 65 per cent of the investors on Heirlume’s cap table identify as women or underrepresented investors.” The round also marks the first investment for Vancouver-based Future Capital. The fund is focused on making venture capital and angel investing more accessible.