Another Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree could be headed to prison

"If I had a dollar for every time a Forbes 30 Under 30 alum has been charged with fraud, I'd have $5. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it has happened five times. By now, the Forbes "curse" has been well documented, from Charlie Javice's JPMorgan fiasco (who was on the Under 30 list in 2019) to crypto poster boy Sam Bankman-Fried perpetrating one of the biggest financial frauds in history (he appeared on the list in 2021)."

"Gökçe Güven, the 26-year-old founder and CEO of fintech startup Kalder, faces 52 years in prison after being charged with fraud, accused of cheating investors out of millions. Güven was also featured in last year's Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Marketing and Advertising category. The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that, during Kalder's seed round in April of 2024, Güven raised $7 million from more than a dozen investors, presenting a pitch deck that misrepresented the number of brands working with the startup and inflated revenues."

""Getting on the Forbes 30 Under 30 is weird: 2% likelihood you become a billionaire, 35% likelihood your company fails, 63% likelihood you end up in white collar prison because you stole money trying to become a billionaire, and then your company fails" tech entrepreneur Chris Bakke noted on X on Monday. "Someone needs to write about what it says about contemporary capitalism that SO MANY of the Forbes 30 under 30 list are frauds!" another X user wrote. "They should make a 30 under 30 where the people are doing legal stuff," another suggested."

Multiple Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees have been charged with fraud, with at least five notable instances. Charlie Javice (2019) faced legal fallout related to JPMorgan, and Sam Bankman-Fried (2021) committed one of the largest financial frauds in recent history. Gökçe Güven, a 26-year-old founder and CEO of fintech startup Kalder and a recent honoree, faces up to 52 years in prison after federal charges alleging she cheated investors out of millions. The Department of Justice alleges Güven raised $7 million in an April 2024 seed round using a pitch deck that misrepresented brand partnerships and inflated revenues. Public commentary online has criticized the frequency of fraud among honorees and questioned what the trend indicates about contemporary capitalism.

Read at Fast Company