Improving Outcomes by Reimagining Venture Capital

Biography

Janet is one of the most respected and well-known venture capital investors in Canada.  As the former Managing Partner at Real Ventures, Canada’s preeminent early-stage venture capital firm, Janet has led investments in over a dozen companies.  Her investments focus on early-stage, Canadian-based tech companies with a focus on vertical SaaS, digital health, advanced manufacturing, e-commerce, fintech, and AI.  

In addition, Janet is very active in the Canadian tech ecosystem; she is the Co-Chair of C100 and on the Boards of Communitech in Waterloo, Vector Institute in Toronto, and Ivey Business School.  She is also an active advisor at OneEleven, Creative Destruction Lab, and the Research Boards of the University Health Network and CAMH.  

Janet has won numerous awards and recognition including Venture Capital Journal’s 2021 “Women of Influence in Private Markets”, Pitchbooks’ 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 also spent four years at eBay in Silicon Valley where she helped transform eBay from a Collectibles to a mainstream marketplace.  She started her career as a Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble and then joined McKinsey & Co. where she was an Engagement Manager.  She also founded and built a successful consulting business and was CEO at a venture-backed start-up prior to joining Real Ventures.

Janet was a varsity long-distance runner and competed internationally in triathlons.  Today she balances her active lifestyle with being a wife and mother to her 17-year-old son.

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