Staircase Ventures

Staircase Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2023 by Janet Bannister. The firm is based in Toronto, Canada, and specializes in leading seed-stage investments in Canadian-based B2B software companies. It offers a unique "Founder Development Platform" to provide coaching and support to founders to enhance their growth and performance. The firm's first fund, Staircase Ventures Fund I, had an initial close of $22 million in April 2023 with backers including the Royal Bank of Canada. The fund exceeded its original target of $30 million with a final close in September 2023. Staircase Ventures' investment thesis focuses on companies with initial products in the market and early signs of product-market fit, leveraging technology for improved efficiency. The firm's first four investments in 2023 included Fillip, Biossil, Rhenti, and Sibli.