VC Launch: Staircase Ventures

We’re continuing the conversation about VC trends. Today, Ryan Draving uncovers the secret to Staircase Venture’s success in the shaky VC landscape. How does the firm’s founder do it?

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It's time for more B2B growth insights. I'm Ryan Draving, your go to growth advisor and I am coming to you as always from my bike. Today we are talking about Staircase Ventures, the new Canadian Venture Capital Fund launched by Janet Bannister, former managing partner of Real Ventures. Staircase Ventures has already secured $22 million of VC and Angel funding to invest in innovative companies.

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This is good news in a VC landscape that is shaky at best in the midst of VC hesitancy all leading up to a potential economic downturn in the couple years ahead. As a side note, I personally always lean into growing a startup by bootstrapping it in each of my own companies. I've worked with my co-founders to create multimillion dollar companies from the ground up, typically relying on agencies to fill the gaps in expertise on my internal teams and sidestep the expense of large stables of expensive internal talent.

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But not all startups have the luxury of bootstrapping, especially in situations where speed to market leadership is critical. So Staircase Ventures is coming in at a good time for startup leaders eager to raise capital for growth. So what makes Staircase Ventures stand out? Its unique approach to supporting portfolio founders. Janet expects to give a portion of fund profits to portfolio founders to help them reinvest.

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And this approach also serves as a way for Staircase ventures to source more deals from founders who like the fund's model. In addition, Staircase Ventures will provide portfolio founders with resources like financial advisors, health and wellness coaches and CEO Coaching, which is a unique approach to venture capital support. I'm used to seeing this kind of thing in more of the accelerator model.

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The idea here is to build a supportive community that helps founders grow both personally and professionally. And Janet has taken inspiration from venture funds like Andreessen Horowitz that provide resources to support business growth. Janet's reputation and track record helped her raise funds for Staircase ventures, and investors have felt comfortable betting on her during these uncertain times. Staircase Ventures has a focus on Canadian B2B software startups at the seed stage, with check sizes ranging from $500,000 to 2 million.

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In conclusion, Janet's innovative approach to venture capital support, combined with her reputation experience and track record, have allowed her to raise funds for Staircase ventures during tough times. As a B2B growth advisor, I believe that the unique approach to supporting founders, along with the focus on B2B software startups, makes Staircase Ventures a promising addition to the Canadian venture capital landscape.

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If you know, Janet, go ahead and put us in touch. From my bike to your brain, let's keep your business moving forward together.