Covid-era struggle to USD 3-million AI start-up: Sudeepa and Srijan’s journey to Intellivisa

Sudeepa Singh from Chandigarh and co-founder Srijan Magon are building Intellivisa, an AI-powered travel clearance platform designed to help passengers meet international entry requirements before reaching the airport.

For Sudeepa and Srijan, the idea behind Intellivisa came from their struggle during the Covid-19 pandemic, as both were trying to get their families to visit them, but travel restrictions, uncertain rules, and unpredictable application processes made the planning difficult.
“We saw the problem first-hand. Not as founders, but as family, waiting for the people we love,” said Singh, who brought expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Magon had experience of running a visa services business. Together, they saw an opportunity to use technology to simplify a process that often depended on manual work and specialised knowledge.

USD 3 million pre-seed funding

In October 2026, Intellivisa announced $3 million in pre-seed funding from funds and operators across the travel and AI sectors, including United Airlines Ventures. The company is now working towards integrating travel clearance into the booking process, with the aim of helping passengers establish whether they have the necessary documentation before they reach the airport.

Singh, an MTech from IIT-Kanpur, has centred her career on using data and artificial intelligence to solve complex problems where accuracy matters. She has worked on machine learning products for cancer image analysis, led data initiatives at a global photography platform and headed a team developing data solutions for a 50,000-vehicle fleet deployment for one of the world’s largest retailers.

Magon, a former aerospace and defence engineer from New Delhi, developed an interest in entrepreneurship early on. As a student, he ran a visa services business, helping people navigate applications for study, work and family visits. The experience gave him first-hand insight into the consequences of errors in documentation. A missing paper could jeopardise a student’s semester, a professional opportunity or a family’s plans to reunite. He subsequently worked in operations at start-ups and large global companies, learning how to manage complex systems at scale.

When the two came together to build Intellivisa, his experience in visa services and operations complemented her technical expertise.

Story continues below this ad

Simplifying complex process

The founders’ first solution was software designed to speed up manual visa processes. However, they realised that automating paperwork alone would not address the larger problem. They scrapped the initial product and rebuilt Intellivisa around AI agents designed to carry out tasks and help travellers meet entry requirements.

The challenge, they say, lies in the sheer number of variables involved in international travel. Requirements differ according to a traveller’s passport, destination and circumstances, while regulations and documentation rules can change frequently. “The visa process isn’t one problem. It’s thousands,” they said.

The company’s focus evolved as it engaged with airlines and travel businesses. Instead of concentrating exclusively on visas, Intellivisa began working towards a broader clearance platform covering the requirements passengers need to meet before crossing international borders.

For Magon, accuracy remains central to the business. A passenger denied boarding because of incorrect documentation faces consequences far more serious than a routine software failure. “When a traveller is turned away at a gate, it’s not a bug report. It’s a missed funeral, a lost contract, or a holiday a family saved years for,” he said.

Story continues below this ad

The company combines AI with visa expertise to address the need for speed without compromising reliability.

Building for future of travel

Intellivisa’s larger ambition is to make travel clearance part of the booking experience. Rather than discovering missing documents at check-in, passengers would be able to understand their requirements well before departure, while the system works in the background to help ensure they are prepared.

The founders envision a clearance layer for global travel that brings together visa requirements, entry regulations and identity-related checks. Its development will involve working with airlines, travel companies and global travel platforms.

For Singh, the opportunity lies in transforming a part of international travel that remains heavily dependent on paperwork and uncertainty. For Magon, success would mean that passengers no longer have to worry about the process because the necessary checks have already been addressed.