NEW YORK: Federal prosecutors say a New York fintech founder built a seven-million-dollar seed round on inflated revenue claims, fabricated partnerships and forged documents—misrepresentations that later resurfaced in an application for a coveted U.S. visa.
Federal prosecutors in New York have charged Gokce Guven, the founder and chief executive of Kalder Inc., with securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud and aggravated identity theft, accusing her of orchestrating an elaborate scheme to mislead investors and immigration authorities by overstating her company’s financial health and commercial traction.
According to a superseding indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York, Guven, a 26-year-old Turkish citizen, raised roughly $7 million from more than a dozen investors by presenting false revenue figures, exaggerated brand relationships and fabricated documents during Kalder’s seed fundraising round in 2024. Prosecutors say the same falsehoods later formed the basis of an application for an O-1A visa, a classification reserved for individuals of “extraordinary ability.”
A Seed Round Built on Inflated Claims
The indictment details how, beginning in April 2024, Guven solicited capital from venture capital firms and individual investors by circulating pitch materials that significantly misrepresented Kalder’s business performance. Those materials, prosecutors allege, claimed that dozens of brands were actively “using Kalder” or participating in its “live freemium” offerings.
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In reality, investigators say, some of the cited companies had only entered limited pilot programs, often at steeply discounted rates and for short durations, while others had no agreements with Kalder at all—not even for free services. Despite this, the pitch deck portrayed these relationships as established and ongoing.
The documents also asserted that Kalder’s recurring revenue had grown steadily month after month since early 2023 and that by March 2024 the company had reached $1.2 million in annual recurring revenue, figures prosecutors say bore little resemblance to the company’s actual finances.
Two Sets of Books, Prosecutors Say
Central to the government’s case is the allegation that Guven concealed Kalder’s true financial condition by maintaining two separate sets of records. One set, prepared by an outside accounting firm, reflected the company’s accurate monthly and annual figures and was kept internally. A second set, containing inflated numbers, was allegedly shared with investors and prospective backers.
By relying on the embellished version of Kalder’s finances, prosecutors say, Guven was able to close a seed round totaling approximately $7 million. Law enforcement officials described the scheme as a calculated effort to present a façade of rapid growth and market adoption in a competitive fintech fundraising environment.
“This indictment displays the lengths that individuals will go through to defraud investors and the American public,” said James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI’s assistant director in charge of the New York Field Office, in a statement announcing the charges.
Forged Endorsements and a Visa Application
The alleged misrepresentations did not stop with investors. Prosecutors say Guven also submitted letters of support and reference purportedly signed by business executives, when in fact she had digitally signed the letters herself without their knowledge or consent.
Those documents were later used in an application for an O-1A visa after Guven’s student visa expired. The visa, typically granted to individuals who can demonstrate sustained national or international acclaim, was issued in the fall of 2025, according to court filings.
Federal authorities contend that the application repeated the same exaggerated claims about Kalder’s revenue, partnerships and market impact that had been presented to investors months earlier.
“As alleged, Gokce Guven built her seed round on fake revenue, inflated brand partnerships, and fabricated documents, and then used the same lies to secure a visa reserved for extraordinary ability,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.
A Fintech Startup Under Scrutiny
Kalder, a New York–based technology startup, was marketed by Guven as a “fintech-marketing platform” designed to help brands create and monetize customized loyalty and rewards programs. The company positioned itself at the intersection of payments, marketing and consumer engagement—an area that has attracted significant venture investment in recent years.
Prosecutors emphasized that the charges remain allegations and that Guven is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. If convicted, she faces substantial prison time and potential forfeiture of assets connected to the alleged fraud.
The case underscores heightened scrutiny by U.S. authorities of startup fundraising practices and immigration applications that rely heavily on self-reported business success, particularly in sectors where growth metrics and partnerships can be difficult for outsiders to independently verify.
