türkçe links to original Turkish article
(Hürriyet Newspaper, 1 February 2026)
"Trust me."
An indictment has been prepared in the US against Gökçe Güven, a
Turkish citizen and founder of a fintech company (and whose surname
means "trust" (!)) on charges of fraud. She is accused of defrauding
investors by inflating her company's revenues, collecting $7 million,
and obtaining an O-1A 'extraordinary ability' visa through forged
documents.
Turkish businesswoman Gökçe Güven (26), founder and CEO of the
New York-based technology company Kalder Inc., is facing charges of
misleading investors about the financial status and business partnerships
of her company, which offers ‘global loyalty programs’ to brands, and
collecting approximately $7 million, and using these statements to obtain
an O-1A visa reserved for ‘exceptionally gifted’ individuals.
‘DECEIVING INVESTORS’
According to a press release published on the US Department of Justice
website on January 29, Güven has been indicted by the Southern District
of New York Attorney’s Office on charges of ‘securities fraud, electronic
fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft.’ According to the
indictment, Güven provided investors with false information about Kalder’s
revenues, customer numbers, and business partnerships, claiming in her
‘inflated’ promotional presentations that 26 brands actively used Kalder
and 53 brands participated in a free trial program.
‘TWO SEPARATE ACCOUNTS WERE KEPT’
According to the allegations, promotional presentations contained false
information stating that Kalder's revenues had been steadily increasing
monthly since February 2023, and that its annual recurring revenues had
reached $1.2 million as of March 2024. Furthermore, Güven kept two
separate financial records: one containing accurate records prepared by
an external accounting firm for internal use, and the other containing
inflated figures distributed to investors and potential investors during
Kalder's seed funding round in 2024. Güven collected $7 million from
investors whose 'trust' he had gained through this round.
‘SHE SPONSORED HER OWN COMPANY’
The charges against Güven in the indictment are not limited to financial
fraud. It is also alleged that Güven committed fraud during the O-1A visa
application process, which falls under the 'extraordinary ability' category,
allowing her to remain and work in the US after her student visa expired.
Güven, who presented her own company's 'achievements' as sponsorship,
made it appear as if some of the support and reference letters included in
her application file were written and signed by senior executives.
TOTAL OF 52 YEARS IN PRISON
According to the indictment, Güven could be sentenced to 20 years in
prison each for securities fraud and electronic fraud, 10 years for visa
fraud, and two years of mandatory imprisonment for aggravated identity
theft. FBI Regional Assistant Director James C. Barnacle Jr. stated,
“Güven is accused of exaggerating her company’s financials and
partnerships, stealing over seven million dollars from potential investors,
and using these false statements to illegally obtain a highly prestigious
visa to enter the United States.” On the other hand, there is no publicly
available information regarding Güven’s current detention status,
although it was previously reported that she was arrested on November 27,
2025.
EVEN MADE IT ONTO THE FORBES LIST
Gökçe Güven, born in 1999, whose name is included in the prestigious
'30 Under 30-2025' list of the world-renowned economics magazine Forbes,
says that she completed her high school education at Robert College in
Turkey, then received education at the University of the Arts London in
England and MIT in the USA. Güven, who also stated that she graduated
from Berkeley in the USA and worked in the fields of blockchain and crypto,
founded Kalder, a fintech-marketing platform, in 2022. She named Kalder
after the famous innovative artist Alexander Kalder. In over two years,
Kalder had secured $11 million in funding with a valuation of $35 million.
Don't believe everything you read...
