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Did Michael Gokturk found Payfirma?
Yes. The Payfirma profile kept by Ivey Business School's Scotiabank Digital Banking Lab, last updated December 17, 2018, names Michael Gokturk as the founder, and BrainStation's account of his Startup Grind Vancouver appearance, published May 14, 2015, calls him the CEO and founder of Payfirma.
What happened to Payfirma?
It was bought. New Cannabis Ventures reported on October 25, 2018 that "In February 2018, Merrco acquired Payfirma Corporation, which operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merrco." The sale followed a public fight over Payfirma's board: in a news release dated October 12, 2017 Gokturk, then CEO, asked shareholders to remove three directors at a meeting set for October 24, 2017.
What did he build before and after Payfirma?
BrainStation reported on May 14, 2015 that before Payfirma he founded VersaPay, a payments company covering point of sale and electronic bill presentment, which went public on the TSX in 2010. SiliconANGLE reported on November 5, 2019 that after Payfirma he founded the Vancouver cryptocurrency exchange Einstein, which a receiver took over that month.
What is Michael Gokturk doing now?
No current role could be established from any page opened on September 22, 2026. The most recent record is regulatory: the B.C. Securities Commission announced on March 2, 2026 (release 2026/012) that Michael Ongun Gokturk, sole director of Einstein Capital Partners Ltd., Einstein Exchange Inc. and Einstein Law Corporation, "has admitted that he is responsible for their fraud" and agreed to pay the commission $1 million, the maximum that could be levied for such misconduct. The release says he is permanently restricted from participating in B.C.'s investment market, including acting as a director, officer, registrant or promoter, and notes he contributed about $1 million of his own money to fund the platform and return some funds to users.