Ms. Janet Bannister

Doctor of Laws, honoris causa

For her visionary and exceptional leadership in the Canadian technology ecosystem, and her significant contributions to innovation and business growth in Canada, the university proudly confers upon Ms. Janet Bannister the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. 

Ms. Bannister is the Founder and General Partner of Staircase Ventures, a firm that invests in Canada’s most promising early-stage technology companies. Previously, she was Managing Partner at Real Ventures, one of the country’s largest and most active early-stage venture capital firms.

She is a graduate of the prestigious Kauffman Fellows program, a global network representing the top one per cent of venture investors and innovation leaders. She is widely recognized for launching Kijiji.ca and transforming it into one of Canada’s most visited websites and expanding its global presence. Additionally, during her time at eBay in Silicon Valley, she helped evolve the company from a niche collectibles platform to a mainstream online marketplace.

Her career began at Procter & Gamble, followed by a role at McKinsey & Co. She later founded a successful consulting business and served as CEO of a venture-backed startup before joining Real Ventures.

Ms. Bannister is the Co-Chair of C100, an organization supporting Canada’s most promising entrepreneurial tech leaders and companies. She has held board positions at Communitech and Vector Institute, and is now on the boards of the LEAP social venture accelerator and the Ivey Business School. Additionally, she mentors aspiring entrepreneurs at the University of Toronto’s Creative Destruction Lab, helping to shape the next generation of innovators. 

Her numerous awards include the Toronto Region Builder of the Year Award, Business Insider’s recognition as one of the ‘Best Women Early-Stage Investors’, and Venture Capital Journal’s ‘Women of Influence in Private Markets’. In 2023, she served as the Honorary Co-Chair of the Princess Margaret Ride to Conquer Cancer.