Wikipedia

Janet Bannister

Janet Bannister is a Canadian business executive and venture capitalist.

Janet Bannister
NationalityCanadian
EducationIvey Business School
Alma materUniversity of Western Ontario
OccupationBusiness executive
Known forVenture capitalist

Bannister is the founder and managing partner of Staircase Ventures.[1] Prior to launching Staircase Ventures in 2023, she was the managing partner at Real Ventures,[2] an early-stage venture capital firm.

Bannister is the co-chair of C100[3] and on the boards of the Ivey Business School and LEAP,[4] a social venture accelerator, as well as serving as a mentor at Creative Destruction Lab at the University of Toronto.[5]

Bannister has been recognized by media outlets including being on the “Most Influential Women in Payments” listing by American Banker in 2019,[6] the “Women of Influence in Private Markets” list by Venture Capital Journal in 2021,[7] the “Female Founders & Investors to Know” listing by Pitchbook in 2021,[8] and the "Seed 30: The Best Women Early-Stage Investors in North America" list by Insider in 2023.[9] She is also the recipient of the 2024 Toronto Region Builder Award.[10]

Bannister 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.[11][12][13]

She also founded and was CEO at a venture-backed start-up prior to joining Real Ventures in 2014.[14] In 2017, she was announced as part of a team to guide fintech strategy for the province of Ontario[15] and the Canadian Economic Strategy Roundtable on Digital Industries.[16]

Staircase Ventures edit

Launched by Bannister in 2023, Staircase Ventures closed their first fund by collecting C$34 million[17] with investors including the Royal Bank of Canada.[18] The fund focuses on leading seed-stage financings of B2B software companies in Canada.[19]

In October 2023, it led the Calgary fintech startup Fillip to a C$5m seed round of fundraising.[20] 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.[21]

Background edit

Bannister 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.[22] She holds a degree from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario.[23]

References edit

  1. ^ "Canadian VC Janet Bannister on finding startups that operate outside Big Tech's purview" BNN Bloomberg. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  2. ^ "JANET BANNISTER LAUNCHES STAIRCASE VENTURES WITH $22 MILLION FIRST CLOSE" BetaKit. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  3. ^ "With new co-chair, C100 looks beyond Silicon Valley origins" The Logic. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  4. ^ "Champions & Advisors" LEAP. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  5. ^ "Mentors" CDL. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  6. ^ "Janet Bannister: Finding innovation where no one else is looking" American Banker. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  7. ^ "Women of Influence: VC making strides on diversity from within" Venture Capital Journal. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  8. ^ "92 female founders and investors to know" Pitchbook. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  9. ^ "Seed 30: The best women early-stage investors of 2023" Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  10. ^ "Janet Bannister to Receive 2024 Toronto Region Builder Award" Toronto Region Board of Trade. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  11. ^ "Kijiji, a Flop in the U.S., Rules Online Classifieds in Canada" New York Times. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  12. ^ "Janet Bannister is de-risking entrepreneurship" OPM Wire. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
  13. ^ "Kijiji founder offers advice to large audience at Lethbridge business conference" Global News. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  14. ^ "A triathlon of a life: How Janet Bannister manages work, family and health" Financial Post. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  15. ^ "Ontario Improving the Delivery of Financial Services Technology" Ontario Bulletin. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  16. ^ "SHOPIFY’S TOBI LÜTKE NAMED CHAIR OF CANADIAN GOVERNMENT’S DIGITAL INDUSTRIES TABLE" Betakit. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  17. ^ "Janet Bannister exceeds target for first solo fund as other venture capitalists struggle to raise" The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  18. ^ "Newly formed Staircase Ventures collects C$22m for debut fund" Venture Capital Journal. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  19. ^ "Unprecedented Support for Founders Distinguishes Staircase Ventures, New Fund by Janet Bannister" Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  20. ^ "Fillip Raises $5 Million Seed Round Led by Staircase Ventures" Calgary.tech. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  21. ^ "Sibli uses AI to give asset managers “information advantage” when researching opportunities" Betakit. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
  22. ^ "Janet Bannister" World Triathlon. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  23. ^ "A new venture: Janet Bannister, HBA '92" Ivey Alumni Gazette. Retrieved 2023-11-07.

External links edit

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