Fintech CEO and Forbes 30 Under 30 alum has been accused of alleged fraud

The Forbes 30 Under 30 list has become more than a little notorious for the number of participants who continue to be accused of fraud. Notable alumni include FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, Frank CEO Charlie Javice, Joanna Smith-Griffin, founder 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 fintech startup Kalder, was charged last week with alleged securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The New York-based fintech startup – which uses “Turn Your Rewards into [a] Revenue Engine” tagline — says it can help businesses create and monetize individual rewards programs. The company was founded in 2022 and offers participating firms the ability to earn ongoing revenue streams via affiliate sales, Axios previously reported.

Güven was on last year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 list. The magazine notes in the letter that Güven’s clients included major chocolatier Godiva and the International Air Transport Association, the trade association that represents a majority of the world’s airlines. Kalder also claims to have enjoyed backing from a number of prominent VC firms.

The US Department of Justice alleges that during Kalder’s April 2024 seed round, Güven managed to raise $7 million from more than a dozen investors after presenting a pitch deck filled with false information.

According to the government, Kalder’s pitch deck claimed there were 26 brands “using Kalder” and another 53 brands in “live freemium.” But officials say that in reality, in many cases, Kalder had only offered deeply discounted pilot programs to many of those companies. Other brands “had no agreement whatsoever with Kalder — not even for free services,” officials said in a news release announcing the indictment. The pitch deck also “falsely reported that Kalder’s recurring revenue had grown steadily month over month since February 2023 and that by March 2024 Kalder had reached $1.2 million in annual recurring revenue.”

The government also accuses Güven of keeping two separate sets of financial books. One of those sets contained “false and inflated figures” and was presented to investors or potential investors to hide “the true financial condition of the company,” the government alleges. The DOJ also alleges that Güven used lies about Kalder as well as falsified documents to obtain a category of visa reserved for people with “extraordinary abilities” that would allow her to live and work in the United States.

TechCrunch reached out to Güven through her personal website. The CEO said she would share a statement about the allegations on Tuesday.