Janet Bannister is a Canadian business executive and venture capitalist. She is the founder and managing partner of Staircase Ventures.[1] Prior to launching Staircase in 2023, she was the managing partner at Real Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm.[2]
Janet Bannister | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | Ivey Business School |
| Alma mater | University of Western Ontario |
| Occupation(s) | Business executive, venture capitalist |
Early life and education
editBannister was a varsity long-distance runner and a national triathlon champion in Canada finishing 8th in the world at the Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in 1996.[3] She holds a degree from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario.[4]
Career
editBannister started her career as a brand manager at Procter & Gamble and then as an engagement manager with McKinsey & Co. In 2001, she spent four years at eBay in Silicon Valley. In 2004, she launched Kijiji.ca which became one of Canada's most-visited websites.[5][6][7]
Bannister is the co-chair of C100[8] and on the boards of the Ivey Business School and LEAP,[9] a social venture accelerator, as well as serving as a mentor at Creative Destruction Lab at the University of Toronto.[10]
She also founded and was CEO at a venture-backed start-up prior to joining Real Ventures in 2014.[11] In 2017, she was announced as part of a team to guide fintech strategy for the province of Ontario[12] and the Canadian Economic Strategy Roundtable on Digital Industries.[13]
Staircase Ventures
editLaunched by Bannister in 2023, Staircase Ventures closed their first fund by collecting C$34 million[14] with investors including the Royal Bank of Canada.[15] The fund focuses on leading seed-stage financings of B2B software companies in Canada.[16]
In October 2023, it led the Calgary fintech startup Fillip to a C$5m seed round of fundraising.[17] By February 2024, the firm had also led seed rounds of funding for other Canadian startups including AI drug discovery platform Biossil and Rhenthi, a marketing automation platform, along with a C$6m round for AI-focused Sibli.[18]
References
edit- ^ "Canadian VC Janet Bannister on finding startups that operate outside Big Tech's purview" BNN Bloomberg. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "JANET BANNISTER LAUNCHES STAIRCASE VENTURES WITH $22 MILLION FIRST CLOSE" BetaKit. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "Janet Bannister" World Triathlon. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "A new venture: Janet Bannister, HBA '92" Ivey Alumni Gazette. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ "Kijiji, a Flop in the U.S., Rules Online Classifieds in Canada" New York Times. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "Janet Bannister is de-risking entrepreneurship" OPM Wire. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
- ^ "Kijiji founder offers advice to large audience at Lethbridge business conference" Global News. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "With new co-chair, C100 looks beyond Silicon Valley origins" The Logic. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ "Champions & Advisors" LEAP. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ "Mentors" CDL. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
- ^ "A triathlon of a life: How Janet Bannister manages work, family and health" Financial Post. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ "Ontario Improving the Delivery of Financial Services Technology" Ontario Bulletin. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ "SHOPIFY’S TOBI LÜTKE NAMED CHAIR OF CANADIAN GOVERNMENT’S DIGITAL INDUSTRIES TABLE" Betakit. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
- ^ "Janet Bannister exceeds target for first solo fund as other venture capitalists struggle to raise" The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
- ^ "Newly formed Staircase Ventures collects C$22m for debut fund" Venture Capital Journal. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "Unprecedented Support for Founders Distinguishes Staircase Ventures, New Fund by Janet Bannister" Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ "Fillip Raises $5 Million Seed Round Led by Staircase Ventures" Calgary.tech. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
- ^ "Sibli uses AI to give asset managers “information advantage” when researching opportunities" Betakit. Retrieved 2024-03-25.