Gökçe Güven, the founder and CEO of U.S.-based fintech startup Kalder.
Turkish entrepreneur Gökçe Güven, founder and CEO of U.S.-based fintech startup Kalder, has been sentenced to 25 months in prison for defrauding investors by inflating the company’s revenue and customer figures to raise nearly $7 million.
The 27-year-old was also ordered to pay $6.7 million in restitution to victims, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Güven, who was featured on Forbes magazine’s 2025 “30 Under 30” list, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in the Southern District of New York. She pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud on May 15, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn.
Kalder presents itself as a fintech and marketing platform offering “global loyalty programs” to brands. According to court documents, Güven misled more than a dozen venture capital investors by making false claims about Kalder’s financial performance and customer base, presenting the company as having growing revenues and an expanding pool of clients.
“None of that was true,” U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said, adding that Güven had used the false representations to secure approximately $7 million from investors.
Court documents showed that Güven kept two sets of financial records: Accurate internal accounts prepared by an external accounting firm, and separate, inflated statements shared with investors during Kalder’s 2024 seed funding round. Authorities say these misrepresentations were instrumental in securing investor funds.
The case also involved allegations that Güven had submitted fraudulent documents to obtain an O-1A visa, a U.S. immigration category for individuals with extraordinary ability in their field.
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of up to 52 years in prison before Güven pleaded guilty to the securities fraud charge.
