Gökçe Güven, founder of fintech startup Kalder, charged with securities fraud, wire fraud, and visa fraud over alleged false claims to investors
New York: Gökçe Güven, the founder of a money technology company called Kalder, has been charged with breaking the law.
Güven, who is 26 years old from Turkey, is accused of lying to people who gave money to her company. She took money from investors who wanted to help grow her business that helps companies use rewards programs to make money.
The government says Güven made up numbers about how many big companies used her service. She told investors that 26 brands were paying customers and 53 more were trying the service. But police say most companies were just getting cheap test versions, and some weren’t using Kalder at all.
She also kept two sets of money records – one with real numbers and one with extra-big, made-up numbers to show to investors. The government says she used false documents to get a special visa that lets people work in America.
Güven was on the Forbes list of young business leaders last year, and her company said it worked with big names like chocolate maker Godiva and airline groups. She told reporters she would say more about the charges this week.