Lunch & Learn: AMA with Janet Bannister
YSpace, York University's entrepreneurship hub, invites you to an exclusive Ask-Me-Anything fireside chat with Janet Bannister, Founder and Managing Partner of Staircase Ventures.
Join us for an inspiring conversation as Janet Bannister shares insights from her journey as a leading early-stage investor, founder, and tech executive. From launching Kijiji.ca to scaling global ventures and shaping Canada’s startup ecosystem, Janet brings a wealth of experience in building and backing high-growth companies.
This is a unique opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge on venture investing, founder development, and the evolving startup landscape. Don't miss the chance to connect with fellow entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders in an engaging and dynamic setting.
Agenda:
11:00 am: Welcome & Introductions
11:15 am: Fireside Chat with Janet Bannister
12:30pm: Networking and Lunch
This event is also a unique opportunity to connect with founders from the Women in Tech JumpSTART incubator program.
About the Speaker
Janet Bannister is the Founder and Managing Partner of Staircase Ventures, which invests in Canada’s most promising early-stage technology companies.
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.
A key figure in the Canadian tech ecosystem, Janet is Co-Chair of C100, serves on multiple boards, and actively mentors startups. Janet has won numerous awards and recognition including Toronto Region Builder of the Year Award for 2023, Business Insider’s 2024 and 2023 “Best Women Early-Stage Investors”, 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 has held leadership roles at eBay, McKinsey & Co., and Procter & Gamble. A former national triathlon champion, she holds a Gold Medal from Ivey Business School at Western University.
About the Women in Tech JumpSTART Program
The Women in Tech JumpSTART Incubator program is a bespoke and flexible membership program supporting Ontario-based women-led tech ventures to scale and grow. This program is offered in partnership with YSpace, Schulich School of Business and Treefrog Accelerator and was created with generous funding through the York Region Innovation Fund.
With a network of industry experts, entrepreneurs, and advisors, the program is designed to help founders to navigate the growth journey beyond the launch.
About Our Funder - York Region
The Regional Municipality of York consists of nine local cities and towns and provides a variety of programs and services to over 1.25 million residents and 57,000 businesses with more than 629,000 employees. Strategically positioned in the Greater Toronto area, York Region is Ontario’s third largest business centre and is among Canada’s largest Information and Communications Technology, Life Sciences and Financial Services business clusters. It is also an innovation hub and a rich pool of talent for established businesses and new ventures. York Region supports economic development with a pro-business environment offering a range of investment assistance and resources for businesses and non-profits both large and small.
About YSpace
YSpace is York University’s pan-university entrepreneurship and innovation hub supporting startups and entrepreneurs from a variety of sectors and communities. Our programming spans across scaling innovative technologies through customer and investor capital to scaling agri-food businesses into mass retail to diversity-focused initiatives like ELLA powered by Desjardins for women-led businesses and Black Entrepreneurship Alliance (BEA) for Black-led businesses. Additionally with our Start-Up Visa program, we are building a robust ecosystem, driving positive change and empowering entrepreneurs to shape the future. We are also home to two physical hubs in the City of Markham and the Town of Georgina.