The Forbes 30 Under 30 list has added another "dark history." Gökçe Güven, the 26-year-old Turkish founder and CEO of fintech startup Kalder, has been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges of securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Article by: Lucas Ropek
Article source: TechFlow TechFlow
TechFlow Dive: Forbes' 30 Under 30 list adds another "dark chapter." Gökçe Güven, the 26-year-old Turkish founder and CEO of fintech startup Kalder, has been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges of securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors allege that during a $7 million seed round in April 2024, she provided investors with a business plan riddled with misinformation—claiming that 26 brands were using Kalder, when in reality many of these companies had no agreements with Kalder whatsoever.
This is not the first time the list has "crashed and burned"; SBF, Charlie Javice, and others have been on the list before.
The full text is as follows:
The Forbes 30 Under 30 list is now notorious for the large number of its members subsequently accused of fraud. Notable alumni include FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, Frank CEO Charlie Javice, AI startup AllHere Education founder Joanna Smith-Griffin, and "pharmaceutical villain" Martin Shkreli. Now, another member of the list has been indicted by the federal government.
Gökçe Güven, a 26-year-old Turkish entrepreneur and founder and CEO of fintech startup Kalder, was charged last week with securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
This New York-based fintech startup uses the slogan "Turn your rewards into a revenue engine" to claim it helps businesses create and monetize personalized rewards programs. Founded in 2022, the company offers participating businesses the opportunity to earn a recurring revenue stream through affiliate marketing, as previously reported by Axios.
Güven was named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list last year. The magazine noted that Güven's clients include major chocolate maker Godiva and the International Air Transport Association (IATA)—a trade organization representing most of the world's airlines. Kalder also claims to have received backing from several prominent venture capital firms.
The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that during Kalder's seed funding round in April 2024, Güven successfully raised $7 million from more than a dozen investors by presenting a business plan riddled with misinformation.
According to the government, Kalder's business plan claimed that 26 brands were "using Kalder" and another 53 brands were on a "freemium model." However, officials stated that in many cases, Kalder was simply offering these companies pilot programs with significant discounts. Other brands "had absolutely no agreement with Kalder—not even free services," officials said in a press release announcing the indictment. The business plan also "falsely reported that Kalder's recurring revenue had steadily increased monthly since February 2023, reaching $1.2 million in annual recurring revenue by March 2024."
The government also accused Güven of maintaining two separate sets of financial books. One set contained "false and exaggerated figures" that were presented to investors or potential investors to conceal the "true financial condition of the company," the government claimed. The Department of Justice also accused Güven of using lies about Kalder and forged documents to obtain a visa category reserved for individuals with "extraordinary abilities," enabling her to live and work in the United States.
TechCrunch contacted Güven through her personal website. The CEO stated that she will release a statement regarding the allegations on Tuesday.
