Forbes 30 Under 30 alum Gokçe Guven sentenced to 25 months in US prison for investor fraud

Güven pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud on May 15, 2026.

“Gökçe Güven committed a brazen fraud at Kalder, her technology startup,” said US Attorney Jamie McDonald.

“She promised more than a dozen venture capital investors that Kalder had increasing revenue and a growing customer base—none of which was true—and then deployed those same lies and forgeries to obtain an immigration benefit.”

The US Attorney added that the office, along with its law enforcement partners, remained committed to protecting the integrity of private markets and combating fraud in the startup ecosystem.

Who is Gökçe Güven?

Güven was the founder and CEO of Kalder, a New York-based technology startup specialising in business loyalty and rewards programmes.

According to a statement issued by the US Department of Justice, Güven began raising funds for Kalder's seed round in April 2024, approaching dozens of venture capital investors.

However, she allegedly provided prospective investors with false statements, misleading claims and fabricated documents about the company's revenue and brand partnerships.

Among other misrepresentations, Güven circulated a pitch deck claiming that 26 brands were "using Kalder" and another 53 were participating in its "live freemium" programme, meaning they were using the company's basic services free of charge.

In reality, some of these brands had only entered into limited-duration pilot programmes, typically at heavily discounted rates, while others had no agreements with Kalder whatsoever.

The pitch deck also falsely claimed that Kalder's recurring revenue had increased steadily month after month, reaching $1.2 million in annual recurring revenue.

To conceal the company's actual financial position, Güven maintained two sets of books. One contained accurate financial information prepared by Kalder's external accounting firm, while the other featured inflated and falsified figures that she shared with investors.

She also provided investors with a forged contract between Kalder and a purported brand partner.

Through these misrepresentations, Güven raised approximately $7 million from more than a dozen investors.

Fraudulent visa application

Apart from defrauding investors, Güven also submitted false statements and fabricated documents as part of an immigration application.

After her student visa expired, she arranged for Kalder to sponsor her for an O-1A visa, which is granted to individuals demonstrating extraordinary ability in fields such as science, education, business or athletics.

Her visa application repeated several of the misrepresentations she had made to investors.

She also submitted reference letters purportedly signed by business executives. However, the executives had neither signed nor authorised the letters; Güven had digitally signed them herself without their knowledge or consent.

She was granted an O-1A visa in the autumn of 2025, but it has since been revoked.

In addition to the 25-month prison sentence, Güven, 27, who is from New York and Turkey, was ordered to pay $6,717,997 each in forfeiture and restitution to her victims.