Now, Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” list is infamous in no small part for the number of participants who have been indicted for fraud. Notable alumni include FTX founder Sam Bankman Fried, Frank CEO Charlie Jarvis, AI startup AllHere Education founder Joanna Smith-Griffin, and “pharma buddy” Martin Shkreli. Another member of the list is currently facing federal charges.
Gökçe Guven, a 26-year-old Turkish national and founder and CEO of fintech startup Calder, was indicted last week on charges of securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud and aggravated identity theft.
A New York-based fintech startup — the company says it “pays.” [a] “Revenue Engine” tagline – states that it helps businesses create and monetize personalized reward programs. The company was founded in 2022 and offers participating businesses the opportunity to earn a recurring revenue stream through partner affiliate sales, Axios previously reported.
Guven was featured on Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” list last year. The magazine said in its article that Guven’s clients included major chocolatier Godiva and the International Air Transport Association, an industry group that represents the majority of the world’s airlines. Calder also claims to have been backed by a number of prominent VC firms.
The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that during Calder’s seed round in April 2024, Guben successfully raised $7 million from more than a dozen investors after presenting a proposal filled with false information.
According to the government, Calder’s pitch document claimed 26 brands were “using Calder” and a further 53 brands were on “live freemium”. But in reality, Calder was often simply offering deeply discounted testing programs to many of these companies, officials said. Other brands “had no agreements whatsoever with Calder, even regarding free services,” officials said in a press release announcing the charges. The offering materials also “erroneously reported that Calder’s recurring revenue had increased steadily every month since February 2023, and that by March 2024, Calder’s annual recurring revenue had reached $1.2 million.”
The government also accuses Guben of keeping two separate financial books. One of them contained “false and exaggerated numbers” that the government alleges were presented to investors or potential investors to hide “the true financial position of the company.” The Justice Department also alleges that Mr. Guben used lies about Mr. Calder and false documents to obtain a visa for individuals with “extraordinary ability” that would allow him to live and work in the United States.
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TechCrunch reached out to Güven through his personal website. The CEO said he would issue a statement regarding the charges on Tuesday.
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