November 7, 2026
NEW YORK — Gökçe Güven, a former Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree who founded technology startup Kalder, has been sentenced to 25 months in federal prison for securities fraud tied to approximately $7 million raised from venture capital investors.
U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan imposed the sentence, which federal prosecutors announced October 30. Güven, 27, pleaded guilty May 15 to one count of securities fraud.
The former Kalder CEO was also ordered to pay $6,717,997 in restitution and forfeit $6,717,997, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Those are distinct court orders; the announcement does not establish that the entire amounts will be collected separately.
Inflated revenue, forged contracts and two sets of books
Prosecutors said Güven began soliciting investors in April 2024 for Kalder, a New York company that marketed loyalty and rewards technology to businesses. Potential investors received a pitch deck claiming 26 brands were using the platform and another 53 had free versions of its services. In reality, prosecutors said, some companies only participated in limited discounted trials, while others had no agreement with Kalder.
The pitch also claimed Kalder’s annual recurring revenue had reached $1.2 million. Prosecutors said Güven kept one set of accurate financial records prepared by an outside accounting firm and another, inflated set shared with prospective backers. She also supplied a forged brand-partner contract.
Those representations helped the startup raise approximately $7 million from more than a dozen venture capital investors, prosecutors said.
Forbes recognition and visa application
Güven appeared on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in the marketing and advertising category. The Securities and Exchange Commission said in an October civil complaint that a Forbes article repeated Kalder customer and revenue figures that were false and that the company later circulated the article to prospective investors.
Forbes portrait: View Forbes’ original photograph of Gökçe Güven. Photo: Tim Tadder for Forbes.
Federal prosecutors also said Güven used false information and letters she signed without the purported authors’ permission to obtain an O-1A visa for people with extraordinary ability. The visa, issued in fall 2025, has since been revoked.
The FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the criminal case, with assistance from the SEC. The SEC also brought a separate civil securities case against Güven and Kalder in October.
Sources: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, October 30, 2026; May 15 plea announcement; SEC litigation release, October 7, 2026.
