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{{Infobox Person
|name = Gökçe Güven
|image =
|birth_place = Turkey
|citizenship = Turkey
|charges = Securities fraud, Wire fraud, Visa fraud, Aggravated identity theft
|conviction_date = May 2026 (guilty plea)
|conviction = Securities fraud (1 count, plea)
|sentence = Pending (sentencing scheduled September 17, 2026)
|forfeiture = Approximately $7 million
|judge = Hon. Lewis A. Kaplan
|case_number = S.D.N.Y. (assigned to Judge Kaplan)
|status = Awaiting sentencing
|occupation = Technology entrepreneur
|known_for = Founder and CEO of Kalder Inc.; Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree
}}

'''Gökçe Güven''' is a Turkish technology entrepreneur and the founder and former chief executive officer of Kalder Inc., a venture-backed loyalty and rewards startup based in New York. She appeared on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list before federal prosecutors charged her with fraud.<ref name="americanbanker">Burns, Hilary. "NY fintech founder Gökçe Güven charged in $7M fraud case." American Banker, February 2026.</ref><ref name="techcrunch">"Fintech CEO and Forbes 30 Under 30 alum has been charged for alleged fraud." TechCrunch, February 2, 2026.</ref>

In February 2026 the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced charges against Güven for securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors said she raised roughly $7 million from more than a dozen venture capital investors by misrepresenting Kalder's revenue and its roster of paying brand partners. According to the charges, Güven kept two sets of financial books. One set, prepared by Kalder's outside accountants, held the company's real numbers. A second set, sent to investors, carried false and inflated figures. The charges also alleged that after her student visa expired, Güven had Kalder sponsor her for an O-1A "extraordinary ability" visa, supporting the application with letters she digitally signed in the names of business executives who had not authorized them.<ref name="dojcharge">U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York. "Startup CEO Charged With Fraud." February 2026.</ref><ref name="dailycal">"UC Berkeley alumna, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree arrested on multiple charges of fraud." The Daily Californian, 2026.</ref>

Güven pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud in late May 2026. As part of the plea she agreed to forfeit nearly $7 million. U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan scheduled sentencing for September 17, 2026. No sentence had been imposed as of June 2026.<ref name="dojplea">U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York. "Kalder CEO Pleads Guilty To Securities Fraud." May 2026.</ref><ref name="gazette">"U.S.-based 26-year-old Kalder CEO Gökçe Güven convicted of $7 million capital fraud, O-1A visa misstatement." Gazette NGR, 2026.</ref>

== Background ==

Güven is a citizen of Turkey. She came to the United States to study and attended the University of California, Berkeley. While at Berkeley she worked as a developer and engineering lead with the student group Blockchain at Berkeley between 2018 and 2020.<ref name="dailycal"/> Reporting at the time of the charges described her as 26 years old.<ref name="gazette"/>

Güven founded Kalder and built it into a venture-backed company in New York. Forbes named her to its 30 Under 30 list. She entered the United States on a student visa, which later expired.<ref name="americanbanker"/><ref name="techcrunch"/><ref name="dailycal"/>

== Kalder ==

Kalder Inc. was a loyalty and rewards technology company. Its platform let brands offer cashback and rewards to customers through card-linked offers. Customers could earn rewards on the credit cards they already carried, and non-financial companies such as retailers and sports teams could run reward programs without building the technology themselves.<ref name="americanbanker"/><ref name="dailycal"/>

Güven raised a seed round of approximately $7 million in April 2024. The money came from more than a dozen investors. Reporting identified Godiva and the International Air Transport Association among the names Kalder associated with its business.<ref name="techcrunch"/><ref name="dailycal"/>

Prosecutors later said the company's actual performance was far smaller than what investors were told. Kalder generated about $60,000 in revenue by April 2025, according to the government.<ref name="americanbanker"/> Güven's defense argued that nearly $6 million of the roughly $6.8 million in investor funds remained in company bank accounts when the government first brought its allegations.<ref name="dailycal"/>

== The Fraud ==

The case centered on what Güven told investors during the 2024 seed round. Prosecutors said she sent prospective investors a pitch deck that misstated the company's traction. The deck claimed 26 brands were "using Kalder" and 53 brands were in a "live freemium" tier. Prosecutors said some of those brands had only entered pilot programs, and others had no agreement with Kalder at all.<ref name="dojplea">U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York. "Kalder CEO Pleads Guilty To Securities Fraud." May 2026.</ref><ref name="dailycal"/>

The government also said Güven inflated the company's revenue. She claimed Kalder produced about $1.2 million in annual recurring revenue by March 2024. The real figure was a fraction of that.<ref name="americanbanker"/><ref name="techcrunch"/>

Central to the charges was the allegation that Güven kept two sets of books. Kalder's outside accounting firm prepared an internal set with the company's accurate monthly and annual financials. A separate set, with false and inflated numbers, went to investors and prospective investors. The two sets did not match.<ref name="dojplea"/>

The visa conduct ran on a parallel track. After her student visa expired, Güven caused Kalder to sponsor her for an O-1A visa, a category reserved for people with extraordinary ability in fields such as business, science, or athletics. Prosecutors said her visa application repeated the same kinds of misrepresentations she had given investors. To support it, she submitted reference and support letters that appeared to carry the signatures of business executives. Prosecutors said Güven had digitally signed those letters herself, without the executives' knowledge or consent. She obtained the O-1A visa in the fall of 2025.<ref name="dojcharge"/><ref name="dailycal"/>

== Charges and Guilty Plea ==

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York announced the charges in February 2026. The case charged Güven with four offenses: securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft.<ref name="dojcharge"/><ref name="techcrunch"/>

The four counts carried different statutory penalties. Securities fraud and wire fraud each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison. Visa fraud carries a maximum of 10 years. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory two-year term that must run consecutive to any other sentence.<ref name="dojcharge"/> The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan.<ref name="dojcharge"/> The arrest and charges were announced on February 2, 2026.<ref name="techcrunch"/>

Güven pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud in late May 2026. The securities fraud count to which she pleaded carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison. As part of the plea she agreed to forfeit nearly $7 million in proceeds. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton announced the plea and said Güven had "defrauded more than a dozen venture capital investors through material misrepresentations about Kalder's revenue and brand partners, then lied to obtain an immigration benefit."<ref name="dojplea"/><ref name="gazette"/>

Judge Kaplan scheduled sentencing for September 17, 2026. As of June 2026, no sentence had been imposed, and Güven remained subject to the court's pending sentencing.<ref name="gazette"/><ref name="dojplea"/>

== Frequently Asked Questions ==
{{FAQSection/Start}}
{{FAQ|question=Who is Gökçe Güven?|answer=Gökçe Güven is a Turkish technology entrepreneur and the founder and former chief executive officer of Kalder Inc., a New York loyalty and rewards startup. She was a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. In May 2026 she pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud in connection with a scheme that raised about $7 million from investors.}}
{{FAQ|question=What did Gökçe Güven do?|answer=Federal prosecutors said Güven raised roughly $7 million from more than a dozen investors by misrepresenting Kalder's revenue and brand partnerships. She kept two sets of books, sending false and inflated figures to investors. She also used fabricated documents, including letters digitally signed in executives' names without consent, to obtain an O-1A visa.}}
{{FAQ|question=What was Gökçe Güven charged with?|answer=The Southern District of New York charged her with securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft in February 2026.}}
{{FAQ|question=Did Gökçe Güven plead guilty?|answer=Yes. She pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud in late May 2026 and agreed to forfeit nearly $7 million.}}
{{FAQ|question=How long is Gökçe Güven's sentence?|answer=No sentence has been imposed. Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan is scheduled for September 17, 2026. The securities fraud count to which she pleaded carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison.}}
{{FAQ|question=What was Kalder?|answer=Kalder Inc. was a loyalty and rewards technology company. Its platform let brands offer cashback and rewards through card-linked offers, so customers could earn rewards on cards they already used.}}
{{FAQ|question=How much money was involved?|answer=Güven raised approximately $7 million from more than a dozen investors during a 2024 seed round. Prosecutors said Kalder's actual revenue was about $60,000 by April 2025, far below the figures given to investors. She agreed to forfeit nearly $7 million as part of her plea.}}
{{FAQ|question=What was the visa fraud allegation?|answer=After her student visa expired, Güven had Kalder sponsor her for an O-1A "extraordinary ability" visa. Prosecutors said her application repeated false claims and included support letters she digitally signed in the names of executives who had not authorized them. She obtained the visa in fall 2025.}}
{{FAQSection/End}}

== References ==

<references />

[[Category:High-Profile_Federal_Offenders]]
[[Category:Wire_Fraud]]
[[Category:Securities_Fraud]]
[[Category:White_Collar_Crime]]
[[Category:Awaiting_Sentencing]]

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{{MetaDescription|Gökçe Güven, founder and CEO of Kalder Inc., pleaded guilty to securities fraud in May 2026 after raising about $7 million from investors. Case file, charges, visa fraud, and sentencing on Prisonpedia.}}