The next “Forbes 30 Under 30” scandal: Celebrated founder indicted

Ahmed Riaz

6 days ago

Forbes 30 Under 30, startup glory – and now indictment: Kalder CEO Gökçe Güven is said to have deceived investors and authorities.

New York: If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.

Somehow it doesn’t work on Forbes 30 Under 30: Once again, a former member of the renowned selection has been charged in the USA. This time it’s the fintech founder Gökçe Güven, CEO of the New York startup Kalder.

Allegations of fraud and Kalder’s business model

According to the US Department of Justice, the 26-year-old is said to have deceived investors with embellished numbers and false information. The charges include securities and wire fraud, visa fraud and aggravated identity theft.

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Kalder, founded in 2022, promised companies to turn their bonus and reward programs into a “revenue machine.” Forbes introduced the startup last year and named Godiva and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as customers, among others. There was also talk of support from well-known VC investors.

Pitch deck vs. reality

According to investigators, Güven raised around $7 million in a seed round in April 2024, based on a pitch deck that promised more than Kalder apparently delivered. There were 26 actively using brands and another 53 in the “live freemium” model. In fact, the investigators say that these were often just heavily discounted pilot projects, sometimes without any agreement.

Creative numbers – according to the indictment

Güven is also said to have gotten creative with the sales figures: The pitch deck showed steadily increasing sales and annual recurring sales of $1.2 million by March 2024. According to the public prosecutor’s office, these figures did not correspond to reality. Güven is also said to have kept two different accounts, one of which was specifically for investors.

Accusations and reaction: Kalder CEO has not yet responded

Explosive: The authorities also accuse the Kalder CEO of using false information and forged documents to obtain a US visa for people with “extraordinary abilities”.

A statement is still pending. Güven told TechCrunch that he would respond to the allegations as soon as possible.

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