Lynsey Thornton is tech executive, advisor, and angel investor.
She spent eight years on the leadership team of Canadian commerce giant Shopify, who she joined as an early employee in 2013. As VP of User Experience, she grew the design team from 50 to over 450 people – the largest in Canada. Lynsey also spent four years as the first GM for Shopify’s Core Product where she set the direction and standards for Shopify’s flagship product. Her team was a 500-strong group of engineers, designers, and product managers. She played a key role in growing Shopify’s customer base from 40k customers in 2013 to over 1.5 million in 2021. In her final year, she became one of the company’s first Managing Directors; responsible for commercial, sales, marketing, and support for the company’s largest region, US West.
In 2020, Lynsey co-founded the investment collective Backbone Angels. Backbone invest in women-led startups, and she spends her time looking for incredibly sharp startup founders who have built a distinctly well designed, and innovative product. She is an Operating Advisor for Bessemer Venture Partners, as well as advising startups across Canada and the US.
Originally from Dublin, Ireland, she moved to Vancouver in 2012, and is now an insufferable West Coast promoter.