Janet Bannister

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Janet Bannister
NationalityCanadian
EducationIvey Business School
Alma materUniversity of Western Ontario
OccupationBusiness executive
Known forVenture capitalist

Janet Bannister is a Canadian business executive and venture 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]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Janet_Bannister&oldid=1215501739"