Janet Bannister

Janet received an HBA (Honours Business Administration) degree from Western University's Ivey Business School in Canada, where she was awarded the Gold Medal for the highest standing in her graduating class. Janet also received a Western Athletic Letter for her participation on the Varsity Cross Country, Track and Field, and Nordic Ski teams. She was on the Canadian National Triathlon team for 3 years and represented Canada at the World Championships. Janet is happily married and has a 15-year-old son, who is the light of her life.

Janet is the Founder and General Partner of Staircase Ventures which invests in Canada’s most promising early-stage technology companies.  Staircase recognizes that founders are the bedrock upon which companies are built, and therefore provides unparalleled support to accelerating founders’ development and performance.  

Prior to launching Staircase Ventures, Janet was Managing Partner at Real Ventures, one of Canada’s largest and most active early-stage investors.  Janet is also a graduate of the prestigious Kauffman Fellows program, a global network of the world’s top 1% of venture investors and innovation leaders.

In addition, Janet is very active in the Canadian tech ecosystem; she is the Co-Chair of C100 and on the Boards of the Ivey Business School and LEAP, a social venture accelerator.  She is also a mentor at Creative Destruction Lab.  In addition, Janet was Honorary Co-Chair of the Princess Margaret Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2023, the largest single fundraising event in Canada.

Janet has won numerous awards and recognition including Toronto Region Builder of the Year Award for 2023, Insider’s 2023 “Seed 30: The Best Women Early-Stage Investors in North America”, Venture Capital Journal’s 2021 “Women of Influence in Private Markets”, Pitchbook’s 2021 “Female Founders & Investors to Know”, and American Bankers’ 2019 “Most Influential Women in Payments”.

In 2004, Janet launched Kijiji.ca and grew it to become one of the most visited websites in Canada.  Subsequently, she led the Kijiji Global business, launching the website in new countries and accelerating growth in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Janet also spent four years at eBay in Silicon Valley where she helped transform eBay from a collectibles to a mainstream marketplace, growing the business 400% year-over-year for four years.  She started her career as a Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble and then joined McKinsey & Co. where she was an Engagement Manager.  She also founded and built a successful consulting business and was CEO at a venture-backed start-up prior to joining Real Ventures.

Janet was a varsity long-distance runner at Western University, where she completed her business degree at Ivey, earning the Gold Medal.  Post university, she switched to triathlons and two years later, became Canada’s National triathlon champion.  She competed internationally on the National team for several years while working full time.

A member of Class 24, Janet is serving her fellowship at Real Ventures under the mentorship of Managing Parter John Stokes.