Perk's AI Revolution: Inside the Travel Platform's Bold Reinvention

Jan de Vries · 2026-08-13

When TravelPerk rebranded to Perk in late 2025, it signaled more than a name change. The Barcelona-born scale-up was quietly transforming itself from a business travel booking tool into an AI-native ecosystem for travel and spend management. In a recent interview, Chief Product Officer Nikita Miller pulled back the curtain on this ambitious pivot — and what it means for the future of work. ### The Problem: Killing 'Shadow Work' Miller's core thesis is refreshingly simple: most employees hate the administrative clutter that comes with business travel and expenses. She calls this "shadow work" — the invisible, repetitive tasks that eat hours each week. Think about everything that happens after a business trip ends: - Matching receipts to credit card transactions - Submitting expense reports through clunky portals - Reconciling invoices against company policy - Booking hotels that meet compliance rules - Organizing team offsites and events Perk's goal is to automate as much of that as possible. Miller argues that AI shouldn't be viewed as a job killer. Instead, it's a tool that frees people to focus on judgment calls, strategy, and creative problem-solving — the stuff machines can't handle. ### AI, Hiring, and the Human Element One of the most provocative points Miller makes is about headcount. There's a common assumption that AI-driven companies will need fewer people. Miller pushes back on that. In many cases, AI actually creates new roles and increases demand for different skills. Systems thinking, for example, is becoming a hot commodity. As companies build interconnected AI agents that touch multiple parts of the business, you need people who understand how those pieces fit together. That's not a job AI can do — at least not yet. ### A More Agentic Future at Perk Perk isn't just talking about AI — it's already deploying it. The company has connected travel, spend, invoices, and events into a single platform. That means users can access information across all those areas without jumping between tools. Personalization is another big bet. Perk has years of travel and spending data, and it's using that to improve recommendations for individual travelers. Meanwhile, CFOs and administrators get better visibility into policies, approvals, and costs. It's a win-win. ### Going Global: Europe to the US Miller believes Perk's European roots are a competitive advantage. Building across multiple markets with different regulations, currencies, and business norms forced the company to become flexible. That complexity prepared it for the US, where expectations around business travel and financial products are different. Perk isn't treating the US as an afterthought. The company has hired local teams and is approaching the market with a localization strategy. That's a lesson many European startups learn the hard way — you can't just copy-paste your playbook. ### The $326 Million Bet Perk recently secured a €300 million credit facility (about $326 million). Miller says that capital is being directed across several areas: - AI and product development - Spend management and invoicing - Corporate cards - Incubation of new ideas for employees and the Office of the CFO That's a serious vote of confidence in the company's trajectory. ### Europe vs. US Startup Culture Having built much of her career in the US, Miller has a unique perspective on both ecosystems. She sees strong entrepreneurial ambition on both sides of the Atlantic. Europe, she notes, is producing an increasing number of significant tech success stories. But the fundamentals of entrepreneurship remain universal: ambition, resilience, and a willingness to grind through hard problems. ### Building a '100-Year Company' Looking ahead, Perk's leadership talks about building a "100-year company." That's not just corporate jargon. It means creating a lasting business that removes unnecessary administrative work and lets employees spend more time on meaningful, productive activities. It's a bold vision — and one worth watching as Perk continues its global expansion.