The EU-Startups Podcast | Interview with Nikita Miller, Chief Product Officer at Perk

In a recent interview, Nikita Miller, the Chief Product Officer at Perk, discussed the company's transformation from a business travel platform to an AI-driven travel and spend management ecosystem. Joining Perk in September 2025, Miller highlighted the company's expansion beyond travel into spend and expense management, integrating acquisitions like Yokoy and increasing its presence in the US market.

Perk's product strategy centers around eliminating "shadow work" - repetitive, manual tasks employees undertake while traveling or spending company funds. These tasks include reconciling receipts and invoices, booking accommodations, organizing events, and adhering to corporate travel policies. The company aims to automate as much of this administrative burden as possible.

Miller emphasizes that AI should not be seen as a replacement for employees, but rather a tool to create more space for higher-value work. While AI can automate repetitive activities like invoice reconciliation and reporting, strategic judgement, decision-making, and understanding the business rationale behind certain actions remain distinctly human responsibilities.

She argues that AI-driven businesses often create new forms of work and increase demand for specialized skills, such as systems thinking, as companies develop interconnected AI agents and products that influence various aspects of an organization.

Perk is already adopting a more agentic future, integrating technology that connects travel, spend, invoices, and events, providing users with seamless access to information across multiple platforms. The company is also heavily investing in personalization, leveraging years of travel and spending data to enhance recommendations for individual travelers and offer CFOs and administrators greater visibility into policies, approvals, reporting, and overall company spending.

In terms of global expansion, Miller believes that Perk's experience navigating complex European markets has prepared the company for its US expansion. Rather than treating the US as an extension of its existing business, Perk is approaching the market through a localization strategy, recruiting local teams and tailoring its approach to account for differences in business travel and financial products expectations.

To support its expansion, Perk has secured a €300 million credit facility, which will be allocated across AI development, product innovation, spend management, invoicing, corporate cards, and the incubation of new ideas aimed at both employees and the Office of the CFO. Beyond Perk, Miller reflects on the similarities and differences between the European and US startup ecosystems.

She observes strong entrepreneurial ambition in both regions, noting that Europe is producing an increasing number of significant technology success stories. For Miller, the core principles of entrepreneurship - ambition, resilience, and the ability to tackle difficult problems - are universal. She envisions Perk as a "100-year company," aiming to create a lasting business that removes unnecessary administrative work and allows employees to focus on meaningful, productive activities.