Janet Bannister
Janet Bannister | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | Ivey Business School |
| Alma mater | University of Western Ontario |
| Occupation(s) | Business executive, venture capitalist |
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]
Early life and education
[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.[3] She holds a degree from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario.[4]
Career
[edit]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.[5] In 2004, she launched Kijiji.ca which became one of Canada's most-visited websites.[6][7][8]
Bannister is the co-chair of C100[9] and on the boards of the Ivey Business School and LEAP,[10] a social venture accelerator, as well as serving as a mentor at Creative Destruction Lab at the University of Toronto.[11]
She also founded and was CEO at a venture-backed start-up prior to joining Real Ventures in 2014.[12] In 2017, she was announced as part of a team to guide fintech strategy for the province of Ontario[13] and the Canadian Economic Strategy Roundtable on Digital Industries.[14]
Staircase Ventures
[edit]Launched by Bannister in 2023, Staircase Ventures closed their first fund by collecting C$34 million[15] with investors including the Royal Bank of 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,[18] a marketing automation platform, along with a C$6m round for AI-focused Sibli.[19] In April of that year, it was involved in a C$2.7m seed extension to Galatea,[20] a waste logistics software company, while in December it helped lead a $5 million minority equity financing round for Eventric, a US-based software company focused on live events.[21]
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.
- ^ "Uncertainty clouds venture capital markets for startups" Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Fillip Raises $5 Million Seed Round Led by Staircase Ventures" Calgary.tech. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
- ^ "Rhenti closes a funding round by Staircase Ventures" LaBarge Weinstein. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
- ^ "Sibli uses AI to give asset managers “information advantage” when researching opportunities" Betakit. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ "Galatea secures $2.7 Million to Help Oil and Gas Companies Tackle Waste Disposal" Betakit. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
- ^ "Eventric Secures $5M in Equity Financing to Accelerate Master Tour Platform Growth and Innovation" Eventric. Retrieved 2025-01-16.