The Forbes 30 Under 30 list has seen several alumni face fraud charges, including Sam Bankman-Fried, Charlie Javice, and Martin Shkreli. Now, another member of the list has been hit with federal charges.
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 US with multiple counts of alleged fraud.
US prosecutors said Ms Guven was charged last week with securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud and aggravated identity theft. The charges were announced by the US Department of Justice, which said the allegations relate to Kalder's seed funding round in April 2024.
Kalder, founded in 2022, said it helps companies create and monetise customer rewards programmes through affiliate partnerships.
Ms Guven was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2025, which said her clients included chocolatier Godiva and the International Air Transport Association.
The Department of Justice said Ms Guven raised about $7 million from more than a dozen investors by presenting false information in a pitch deck.
Prosecutors said the pitch materials claimed 26 brands were using Kalder and another 53 were in "live freemium", when several had only pilot programmes or no agreements at all.
The government said the pitch deck also falsely stated that Kalder's revenue had grown steadily and reached $1.2 million in annual recurring revenue by March 2024.
Prosecutors further alleged that Ms Guven kept two sets of financial records, including one with inflated figures shown to investors, to conceal the company's true finances.
The Department of Justice also said Ms Guven used false claims and forged documents to obtain a US visa for individuals of "extraordinary ability".
