Ep 349 - Carlyn Gabon - The Hustle Behind GetYourVisa

EPISODE INTRODUCTION

In this episode of Hustleshare, we chat with Carlyn Gabon, founder and CEO of GetYourVisa, about how her personal struggles with immigration led her to build a startup tackling the visa process. From hustling barbecues as a kid in Quezon City to leading regional ops at Grab, Carlyn shares how her drive and clarity of purpose shaped her journey. She talks about losing her job during the pandemic, lining up at 5 a.m. outside immigration offices, and why she took the leap into entrepreneurship through the Antler program. If you’ve ever dealt with visa stress—or thought about building something global—this one’s for you.

Episode Timeline: 

[00:03:19] - Carlyn Gabon: What’s your hustle?

[00:05:04] - Early hustle influences and childhood dreams

[00:14:17] - First corporate jobs and clarity on her goals

[00:19:17] - Skill stack learned throughout her initial stints

[00:20:37] - Discovering the startup world during her master’s

[00:23:13] - Joining Grab and experiencing hypergrowth

[00:32:56] - Building new transport and B2B initiatives at Grab

[00:36:38] - The move to Europe and joining FlixBus

[00:38:23] - Pandemic hits, job loss, and visa struggles

[00:42:16] - Realizing the visa system is broken for many

[00:52:49] - Pivoting focus: getting into the startup ecosystem

[00:56:27] - Antler program and the birth of GetYourVisa

[01:03:20] - Building the MVP and early founder challenges

[01:10:10] - ‘Aha’ moments with GetYourVisa

[01:17:07] - Evolution of GetYourVisa through the years

[01:21:29] - Carlyn’s advice to new startup founders

QUOTES
“If this is already happening to me and to these people who have the good background and we still have to go through this, what about the rest of the people? That was when I told myself... I just want to make it easier for people coming after me.”– Carlyn Gabon

CONNECT WITH CARLYN:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyngabon 
Website: https://getyourvisa.app 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getyourvisa.app

This episode is brought to you by OneCFO

Hustleshare is powered by Podmachine

Listen to our brand new podcast: Founders Only HERE

Diamond Supporters: Sarisuki, PayMongo, SeekCap, Shoppable Business, Qapita, GoTyme Bank, Sprout Solutions, UNO Digital Bank