Forbes 30 Under 30 CEO Gokce Guven Charged With Fraud in $7 Million Startup Case

Another name has been added to the growing list of Forbes 30 Under 30 alumni facing fraud allegations.

According to TechCrunch, Gokce Guven, a 26-year-old Turkish national and founder of New York-based fintech startup Kalder, has been charged in the United States with multiple federal offences, including securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

The charges were announced last week by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and are linked to Kalder’s seed funding round in April 2024.

Who Is Gokce Guven?

Guven founded Kalder in 2022, positioning the company as a fintech platform that helps brands build and monetise customer loyalty and rewards programmes through affiliate partnerships.

She was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2025, with Forbes stating that Kalder’s clients included brands such as Godiva and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

What Prosecutors Allege

According to the DOJ, Guven raised approximately $7 million from more than a dozen investors by allegedly presenting false and misleading information in investor pitch materials.

Prosecutors claim that:

• Kalder’s pitch deck stated that 26 brands were active customers and another 53 were in “live freemium” stages, when in reality several had only pilot arrangements or no formal agreements at all.
• The company allegedly misrepresented its financial performance, claiming steady revenue growth and $1.2 million in annual recurring revenue by March 2024.
• Guven is accused of maintaining two separate sets of financial records, with inflated figures allegedly shown to investors to conceal Kalder’s actual financial position.

Visa Fraud Allegations

In addition to investor-related charges, prosecutors allege that Guven used false statements and forged documents to obtain a US visa reserved for individuals of “extraordinary ability”.

Part of a Wider Pattern

The case adds to a list of high-profile Forbes 30 Under 30 figures who have later faced criminal charges, including Sam Bankman-Fried, Charlie Javice, and Martin Shkreli.

As of now, Guven has not publicly responded to the charges, and the allegations remain unproven in court.

The case highlights continued scrutiny of startup fundraising practices and the importance of due diligence in early-stage venture investments.