Yenny Yusra Journal

Although background checking has long been common practice in countries like the United States and other markets, awareness in Indonesia is still relatively low. Many companies only begin taking the process seriously after experiencing internal fraud or employee-related issues.

In a conversation with Safelog.ai CEO Aldo Suryokusumo, he shared how the startup is building a technology-driven background checking platform while also preparing for a new fundraising round to accelerate product development.

“What we really sell is trust,” Aldo said. “With background checking, companies feel safer. It enables trust between employers, employees, and clients.”

Started from a painful personal experience

Before working at Aspire, Aldo Suryokusumo ran his own event organizer business under PT KREATIF INOVASI SUKSES (Krevasi), with one of its flagship events being Kolabpreneur. The experience later became one of the main reasons behind the creation of Safelog.ai. Aldo recalled how some project staff were given company assets like laptops so they could finish work faster. But after one project ended, one employee suddenly disappeared along with the laptop.

The team later investigated by speaking with people close to the employee, including family members and a former partner. They eventually discovered that similar incidents had happened in the employee’s previous workplaces.

“From there I realized that if we had done background checking earlier, it would have been safer for everyone,” he said. The incident pushed him to think more seriously about the lack of accessible background checking services in Indonesia.

Based on his experience handling compliance and due diligence work at Aspire, Aldo started building the infrastructure for a technology-based background checking service that could be used by more companies, not just major corporations.

Building a technology-driven background checking platform

Safelog.ai officially launched at the end of 2023 and started operations in 2024. The company was founded together with a co-founder Aldo met during the Antler entrepreneur program.

After graduating from Antler, the startup secured fresh funding and has since operated leanly while continuing to build its technology. Aldo describes Safelog.ai is the trust engine for the future of work.The platform helps companies scale teams with integrity through AI-assisted background checks and workforce intelligence. 

Today, Safelog.ai serves both blue-collar and white-collar hiring needs. In 2026, the startup also began integrating with ATS or applicant tracking system platforms, which Aldo believes could become an important growth channel moving forward. At the moment, Safelog.ai operates with a lean team of five full-time employees.

Combining manual verification with AI

According to Aldo, many people still associate background checks only with police certificates, bank checks, or reference calls. Safelog.ai tries to offer a more complete process.The company currently handles education checks, financial checks, bank checks, social media checks, criminal-related checks, and employment references. Some processes are automated while others are still handled manually.

For example, Safelog.ai is already connected directly with Indonesia’s credit bureau system for financial-related checks. Meanwhile, AI has started helping in areas such as reference verification and media screening.

“There are parts where technology can help accelerate the process, but there are also parts that still need manual verification,” Aldo said. 

He added that building the technology was never simple because the company operates in a highly regulated space involving sensitive data processing. “Technology had to come first,” he said.“That was the hardest part.”

Educating a market that is still unfamiliar with background checks

One of Safelog.ai’s biggest challenges today is not only selling the service, but also educating the market. Aldo said many companies and even job seekers in Indonesia still feel uncomfortable or worried about background checking processes. In many cases, businesses only start taking it seriously after they experience fraud or internal problems.

International companies and multinational corporations have long implemented transparent background checking procedures, especially in banking and financial services. But outside those sectors, awareness in Indonesia remains relatively low.

“Most companies here are still in the education phase,” Aldo explained. “The ones who finally use Safelog are usually companies that have already experienced fraud or are dealing with problems.”

Safelog.ai currently focuses on B2B enterprise clients with customized plans depending on company needs. Despite the slow adoption, Aldo believes the opportunity remains large because technology-driven background checking platforms are still limited in Indonesia.

Hiring challenges are creating new opportunities

Beyond fraud prevention, Aldo also sees another growing problem in Indonesia’s job market: the imbalance between the number of applicants and available jobs. Based on conversations with dozens of HR professionals, he said many recruiters are overwhelmed by the number of applications they receive for a single role.

“One opening can receive up to a thousand applicants,” he said. “HR teams become overwhelmed because many applicants don’t actually match the criteria.”

According to Aldo, this situation is partly driven by the current economic climate, where job seekers apply to many positions simply to secure work. He believes Safelog.ai can help companies identify more relevant candidates faster while improving hiring efficiency.

At the same time, Aldo emphasized that the company does not want AI-based background checks to become discriminatory.

“We want job seekers to still have room to tell their story,” he said. “The system should not only focus on red flags.”

Preparing for fundraising and regional expansion

Safelog.ai is currently seeking fresh funding to expand its team and launch new products and services that are still being kept confidential.

Aldo said the company has gathered strong insights and data over the last three years, giving them confidence about the next stage of growth. The new funding would also support marketing efforts and future expansion plans. Even during uncertain economic conditions, Aldo remains optimistic about finding the right strategic investor.

“We are very careful about investors,” he said. “We want people who align with our values and believe in our vision of enabling trust, not just another funding round.”

Last year, Safelog.ai conducted around 5,000 background checks for companies. This year, the startup hopes to double that number. Looking ahead, Aldo said the long-term ambition is clear.

“We want to become a regional leader in Asia Pacific,” he said. “There’s a company in the US called Chekr. We want to become the Chekr of APAC.” Still, Aldo emphasized that the company’s mission goes beyond simply finding problems in someone’s background.

“At the end of the day, we don’t feel joy when we identify red flags,” he said. “What we really hope to see are more green flags. We want to build a more trusted ecosystem for everyone.”