How ex-Google and Grab staff are using AI to fix visa delays

This article is a part of  Startup Spotlight, a series that features young, up-and-coming startups.

Image credit: Timmy Loen

The idea for Spun was born from a series of repeated frustrations. Co-founders Christa Sabathaly and Dilla Anindita, Indonesian passport holders with careers at multinational tech firms, found visa processes to be a persistent challenge. 

They realized this personal pain was a widely shared problem across Southeast Asia, where travel and mobility were growing, but visa applications remained manual and fragmented.

😟 Problem

Visa processes are a major point of friction for travel and work in Southeast Asia. Information is often unclear, documentation requirements are heavy, and small mistakes lead to costly delays or rejections. 

This affects millions of travelers annually. For example, Indonesian passport holders require visas for 106 countries. With over 20 million outbound passengers from Indonesia each year, this creates a significant administrative burden for individuals and businesses alike. 

For travel agents and employers, manual processing can take up to three hours per application. At scale, human errors become a serious execution risk, jeopardizing business timelines and creating unnecessary costs.

💡 Solution

Spun is an AI-powered platform designed to make visa processes faster and more predictable. It uses purpose-built AI to convert complex visa rules into structured, automated workflows. This reduces human error and standardizes decision-making.

Tasks that previously took hours can be completed in 30 minutes, while repeat applications can be filed in minutes. For individual travelers, the platform:

• Determines visa eligibility based on user profiles.
• Generates personalized document checklists automatically.
• Flags missing or inconsistent information before submission.

For businesses and partners, it:

• Standardizes requirements across destinations and visa types.
• Automates document validation for repeat applications.
• Enables teams to handle higher volumes without growing headcount.

📊 Market size

🤝 Team

🚀 Traction

🏆 Competition

💰 Financials