What Staircase Ventures does

Staircase Ventures is a Toronto-based, seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2023 by Janet Bannister that invests exclusively in Canadian technology startups at the pre-seed and seed stages. The firm deploys initial checks of $1 million to $2.5 million per company and reserves approximately 40% of fund capital for follow-on investments, evaluating roughly 2,000 companies per year and investing in approximately four. The firm operates two funds: Fund I ($34 million CAD, 2023 vintage) and Fund II ($50 million CAD, closed March 2026 with oversubscription), backed by institutional limited partners including RBC, Northleaf Capital Partners, BDC Capital, University of Alberta Endowment, and InBC Investment Corp. Staircase Ventures' distinguishing capability is its five-pillar Founder Growth Platform — executive CEO coaching, peer learning groups, Cleveland Clinic Canada health and wellness coaching, personal financial advisory through Italo Voso, and family support stipends — combined with a board seat on every portfolio company and the only-in-North-America model of sharing one-fifth of fund carry with portfolio founders. The portfolio of 14 disclosed companies spans AI-powered vertical SaaS in healthcare (MedEssist, SiftMed, Banting AI), AI biotech (Biossil), fintech (Una Software, Fillip), proptech (Mave, Rhenti), investment research (Sibli), regulatory technology (Ultimarii), live events (Eventric/Master Tour), waste logistics (Galatea), database management (DBGorilla), and B2B textiles commerce (Tengiva). Fund I generated a paper net IRR exceeding 50%, placing it in the top 10% of North American funds launched in 2023, though gains have not yet crystallized into cash distributions.

Name

Staircase Ventures

Legal name

Staircase Ventures

Website

https://staircaseventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Staircase Ventures is a Toronto-based seed-stage venture capital firm founded in 2023 that invests $1M-$2.5M initial checks in Canadian tech startups, pairs founders with a five-pillar development platform, and shares fund carry with portfolio founders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

Keywords

• Seed-stage venture capital
• Canadian tech startups
• Founder development programs
• Pre-seed investing
• Venture fund management

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Fund Management: Traditional VC model generating returns through carried interest (carry) on successful fund investments, plus management fees. Fund I generated 50% average annual internal rate of return. The firm shares carry with portfolio founders - an unusual perk where founders collectively share in one-fifth of the investment gains.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Staircase Ventures leads seed-stage rounds of $1M to $2.5M into pre-seed and seed-stage Canadian tech startups, with approximately 40% of fund capital reserved for follow-on investments. The firm pairs its capital with a unique five-pillar Founder Growth Platform (executive CEO coaching, peer learning groups, health and wellness programs with Cleveland Clinic Canada, personal financial advisor, and family support stipends) and takes a board seat at every portfolio company to provide active strategic support.

Product overview

Staircase Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm offering a Founder Growth Platform with five pillars: executive CEO coaching, peer learning groups, health and wellness programs, personal financial advisory, and family support. The firm manages a $50M Fund II and has invested in 14 portfolio companies across AI-powered vertical SaaS sectors including healthcare technology (MedEssist, SiftMed, Banting AI), biotech (Biossil), financial technology (Una, Fillip), real estate technology (Mave, Rhenti), investment research (Sibli), regulatory technology (Ultimarii), database management (DBGorilla), and enterprise software (Eventric, Galatea, Tengiva).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Founder Growth Platform A comprehensive five-pillar development program for portfolio company founders consisting of: (1) Executive CEO Coaching (6–12 months of one-on-one coaching); (2) Peer Learning Groups (confidential peer support groups); (3) Health & Wellness Programs (dedicated Cleveland Clinic Canada health coach); (4) Personal Financial Advisor (provided via Italo Voso); (5) Family Support (cash stipend and parent coaching). Offered to founders of all Staircase Ventures portfolio companies.
• Seed-Stage Venture Capital Investment Equity capital investment of $1M to $2.5M per company into pre-seed and seed-stage Canadian tech startups, with approximately 40% of fund capital reserved for follow-on investments. The firm takes a board seat at every portfolio company and provides active support.
• Staircase Ventures Fund II Second fund vehicle of $50M CAD for deploying pre-seed and seed-stage capital into Canadian tech startups, writing initial checks of $1M to $2.5M with approximately 40% reserved for follow-on investments. Backed by institutional investors including RBC, Northleaf, BDC Capital, University of Alberta Endowment Fund, and InBC Investment Corp.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fund I generated 50%+ average annual internal rate of return, placing it in top 10% of North American funds launched in 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability14 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Vector Institute (HealthSpark Program)minorOthers · 15 April 2026Portfolio companies MedEssist and Banting AI selected for Vector Institute's HealthSpark program, connecting health-tech startups with ML experts.
• C100minorOthersNon-profit organization supporting Canadian tech entrepreneurs. Janet Bannister serves on the boards of C100.
• Ivey Business SchoolminorOthersJanet Bannister serves on the board of Ivey Business School at Western University.
• Creative Destruction LabminorOthersNot-for-profit accelerator for science-based companies. Janet Bannister serves as a mentor.
• CommunitechminorOthersInnovation hub in Waterloo. Janet Bannister previously served on the board.
• Vector InstituteminorOthersAI research institute in Toronto. Janet Bannister previously served on the board.
• CancerX AcceleratorminorOthersBanting AI selected for CancerX Accelerator 2026 program, public-private partnership for cancer care innovation anchored by Moffitt Cancer Center and Advocate Health.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Real Ventures: Montreal-based seed/early-stage VC firm focused on Canadian tech startups. Most directly comparable peer — Staircase founder Janet Bannister was previously Managing Partner at Real Ventures, and both firms pursue an early-stage Canadian tech thesis with strong founder support.
• Version One Ventures: Vancouver-based seed-stage VC focused on mission-driven Canadian tech startups. Closely comparable in stage (pre-seed/seed), geography (Canada), and check size, with similar founder-support orientation.
• Panache Ventures: Montreal-based pre-seed and seed investor in Canadian tech. Comparable in stage, check size, and Canadian-only mandate, and competes with Staircase for many of the same early-stage deals.
• StandUp Ventures: Toronto-based early-stage VC investing in Canadian tech startups with a focus on diverse founding teams. Similar seed-stage thesis, Canadian-only geography, and active founder-development model.
• Lighthouse Ventures: Toronto-based seed-stage investor backing Canadian tech founders. Comparable stage, geography, and active portfolio-support approach, often co-investing in Staircase-adjacent deals.

Broad incumbents

• Inovia Capital: Montreal-based larger-stage VC firm investing across seed, Series A, and growth in Canadian tech. Overlapping at the seed layer where Staircase operates, but with much larger AUM and broader stage coverage.
• Georgian Partners: Toronto-based growth-stage VC investing in Canadian and North American B2B software. Overlaps at Series A and beyond, often as the next-round investor into Staircase portfolio companies.
• BDC Capital: Venture arm of Canada's Business Development Bank; operates multiple seed and growth funds across Canadian tech. Directly comparable as both a fund-of-funds LP and as an early-stage investor occasionally competing at seed.

Regional players

• Front Ventures: Toronto-based early-stage VC operating in similar geographic and stage territory, though smaller and with a narrower sector focus than Staircase. Represents a plausible co-investment or competing Canadian seed partner.

Emerging players

• Lerer Hippeau: New York-based seed-stage VC with similar high-conviction early-stage approach and founder-development orientation. Useful peer for benchmarking U.S. seed-stage economics, even though it operates outside Canada.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/staircase-ventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments13 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Staircase Ventures