"Gökçe Güven, a 26-year-old Turkish national and the founder and CEO of fintech startup Kalder, was charged last week with alleged securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The New York-based fintech startup - which uses the "Turn Your Rewards into [a] Revenue Engine" tagline - says it can help companies create and monetize individual rewards programs. The company was founded in 2022, and offers participating firms the opportunity to earn ongoing revenue streams via partner affiliate sales, Axios previously reported."
"The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that, during Kalder's seed round in April of 2024, Güven managed to raise $7 million from more than a dozen investors after presenting a pitch deck that was rife with false information. According to the government, Kalder's pitch deck claimed that there were 26 brands "using Kalder" and another 53 brands in "live freemium." However, officials say that, in reality, Kalder had, in many cases, only been offering heavily discounted pilot programs to many of those companies."
Gökçe Güven, a 26-year-old Turkish national and founder and CEO of New York-based fintech Kalder, faces federal charges including securities fraud, wire fraud, visa fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Kalder, founded in 2022, markets a platform to help companies create and monetize rewards programs and has cited clients such as Godiva and the International Air Transport Association and claimed VC backing. The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that during Kalder's April 2024 seed round, Güven raised $7 million using a pitch deck with false information, overstating brand partnerships and reporting pilot programs as active agreements.
Read at TechCrunch
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]