Now, in Forbes 30 Under 30 list has become more than a little known for the number of entrants who go in to charge with fraud. Famous alumni included FTX founder Sam Bankman-FriedCEO Frank Charlie Javice, Joanna Smith-Griffinfounder of AI startup AllHere Education, and “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli, among others. Now, another member of the list has been hit with federal charges.
Gökçe Güven, a 26-year-old Turkish citizen and founder and CEO of a fintech startup callalready charged last week with alleged securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The New York-based fintech startup — which uses the tagline “Turn Your Rewards into (a) Revenue Machine” — says it can help companies create and monetize individual rewards programs. The company was founded in 2022, and offers participating companies the opportunity to earn a continuous stream of income through the sale of affiliate partners, Axios reported earlier.
Güven was featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list last year. the magazine note in writing that Güven’s clients include major chocolatier Godiva and the International Air Transport Association, a trade organization representing the majority of the world’s airlines. Kalder also claimed to have enjoyed backing from some prominent VC firms.
The US Department of Justice stated that, during Calder round seeds in April 2024, Güven successfully raised $7 million from more than a dozen investors after presenting a pitch deck full of false information.
According to the government, Kalder’s pitch deck states that there are 26 brands “using Kalder” and another 53 brands in “direct freemium.” However, officials say that, in reality, Kalder is, in many cases, only offering deeply discounted pilot programs to many of these companies. Other brands “have no agreement with Kalder whatsoever—not even for free services,” officials said in a press release announcing the indictment. The pitch deck also “falsely reported that Kalder’s recurring revenue has continued to grow every month since February 2023 and that by March 2024, Kalder had reached $1.2 million in annual recurring revenue.”
The government also charged Güven with having kept two separate sets of financial books. One of the sets included “false and inflated numbers,” and was given to investors or potential investors to hide “the company’s true financial condition,” the government said. The DOJ also alleges that Güven used lies about Kalder as well as forged documents to obtain a visa category reserved for individuals with “extraordinary ability,” which allows them to live and work in the United States.
Techcrunch event
Boston, MA
|
June 23, 2026
TechCrunch reached out to Güven through his personal website. The CEO said he would share a statement on the allegations on Tuesday.