U.S. prosecutors say the Kalder founder Gökçe Güven didn’t just “sell the dream” to investors—she allegedly manufactured it: inflated revenue, embellished brand relationships, and a pitch-deck story calibrated to unlock a ~$7 million seed round. Then, they allege, the same fabricated success narrative was repackaged into an O-1A “extraordinary ability” visa application—complete with support letters allegedly signed without authorization.

Status Label & Court Docket

CHARGED (Superseding indictment unsealed January 29, 2026).

• Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
• Case: United States v. Guven, 1:25-cr-00592 (public docket aggregation).
• Judge (per DOJ): Lewis A. Kaplan
• Procedural notes (public docket aggregation): Indictment filed Dec 18, 2025; initial appearance noted Nov 29, 2025.

Charges

Prosecutors say the superseding indictment charges:

• Securities fraud
• Wire fraud
• Visa fraud
• Aggravated identity theft

DOJ also lists maximum penalties of 20 years (securities fraud), 20 years (wire fraud), 10 years (visa fraud), plus a mandatory consecutive 2 years (aggravated identity theft).

What prosecutors allege happened

1) The seed-round “traction theater”

According to DOJ, Güven solicited seed investments starting in April 2024 and circulated a pitch deck that allegedly:

• Claimed 26 brands “using Kalder” and 53 in “live freemium”—while DOJ says some were merely short, discounted pilots and others allegedly had no agreement at all. Reported recurring revenue growth reaching $1.2M in ARR by March 2024, which prosecutors say was false. Hid reality via two sets of books: accurate financials prepared by an outside accounting firm and a second, inflated set sent to investors.

Bottom line alleged by DOJ: roughly $7 million raised from more than a dozen investors on the back of these representations.

2) The visa “extraordinary ability” add-on

DOJ alleges that after her student visa expired, Güven sought an O-1A and submitted support letters purportedly from business executives—letters DOJ says she digitally signed herself without authorization, driving the aggravated identity theft count.

Who/what is Kalder

Kalder presented itself as a fintech-marketing/rewards platform—described as enabling companies to run and monetize loyalty programs and, in practice, operating in the card-linked offers space.
Reporting also notes the startup was founded in 2022.

Evidence Box

• Primary source: SDNY DOJ press release announcing superseding indictment + allegation summary.
• Charging document: DOJ-hosted PDF of the superseding indictment narrative summary.
• Context reporting: American Banker explainer on Kalder’s product model and alleged investor deception mechanics.
• Docket reference: public docket aggregation listing filings and case number.

Confidence grade: CONFIRMED (for the fact of charges and the allegations as stated by DOJ and docket sources).

The “Forbes Under 30” credibility trap, again

Güven’s case lands in a now-familiar pattern: founders wrapped in prestige signals—major logos, glossy awards, “Under 30” validation—while the alleged controls behind the story are paper-thin. Tech and finance reporting has repeatedly flagged Forbes “30 Under 30” honorees later charged or convicted, including cases like Charlie Javice (Frank/JPMorgan) and others.
This is not a “curse.” It’s an incentive problem: when reputation becomes a fundraising instrument, the temptation is to treat narrative as a substitute for audit-grade truth.

Red flags investors should stop ignoring

• “ARR” claims without bank-to-ledger reconciliation and customer-contract sampling.
• “Live freemium / using us” language without clear definitions and evidence of ongoing utilization + payment.
• Partner/logo claims without executed agreements and verification calls.
• Any founder-provided “support letters” (for deals, partnerships, visas) without direct source validation.

Call for Information

Were you pitched Kalder’s “seed round,” asked to validate revenue/partners, or involved as a vendor/brand/pilot customer? Submit verifiable documents (pitch decks, revenue reports, contracts, emails, cap table excerpts) via Whistle42.com. We handle sources confidentially and can redact appropriately.