Janet Bannister | |
---|---|
Nationality | Canadian |
Education | Ivey Business School |
Alma mater | University of Western Ontario |
Occupation | Business executive |
Known for | Venture 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]
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]
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]
This article needs additional or more specific
categories. (November 2023) |
Janet Bannister | |
---|---|
Nationality | Canadian |
Education | Ivey Business School |
Alma mater | University of Western Ontario |
Occupation | Business executive |
Known for | Venture 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]
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]
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]
This article needs additional or more specific
categories. (November 2023) |