Name: Kaan Kermen
Year: Sophomore
Major: Economics & Statistics
CFS Class: Business Field Studies
Employer: Safestamp

During the spring of 2021, I interned at Safestamp, a nanotech startup committed to solving global counterfeiting. As someone who has been fascinated with entrepreneurship since high school, this was one of the most rewarding experiences I could ask for. Two very important things stood out to me about Safestamp and the industry. The first one was the infectious company culture. The first thing any intern learned at Safestamp was the definition of a “slinger”, an individual who harnesses their unique abilities and qualities to stand out from the crowd. This mindset has allowed Safestamp to have two very successful rounds of investments and multiple LOIs from firms and countries. As an incoming slinger, I joined the fundraising and THC teams. I networked with investors in the fundraising team to fund our series seed preferred round of $2.5mm at a pre-money valuation of $10 million. As for the THC team, I targeted THC firms struggling with counterfeiting to secure partnerships and expand into different industries.

My favorite part about the position was definitely the day-to-day work I was able to do within the company. I was fortunate enough to join every meeting the CEO had with investors throughout his investor rounds, and even ask questions to the angels hearing about our company. Through this, I was able to greatly expand my understanding of what an investor-company relationship looked like. Previously, I had thought that a pitch was simply for a company to sell their idea to a company; however, through the investor meetings I was able to attend, I now understand that it is a symbiotic relationship and how a VC/investor can help a start-up is just as important as what the start-up will do for them. This invaluable experience has certainly solidified my love for ideation and entrepreneurship, as well as expanded my horizons in the world of Venture Capital.