Miles

Miles positions itself as a universal rewards platform that monetizes all forms of travel. Established in 2016 by Jigar Shah, Paresh Jain, and Parin Shah, the company launched its app in July 2018. The founding team combines expertise from relevant sectors; CEO Jigar Shah was a product leader at Cisco, while CBO Paresh Jain previously served as a vice president at Morgan Stanley, focusing on the auto and mobility sector. This background informs the company's core value proposition: rewarding users for every mile traveled, regardless of the method.

The business operates a mobile application that functions automatically in the background, using smartphone sensors to detect and log a user's mode of transport—from walking and biking to car, train, or plane travel. The model is designed to incentivize greener and healthier transportation choices by offering tiered rewards; for example, walking earns 10x the miles of driving, biking earns 5x, and public transit earns 3x. Users accumulate these miles and can redeem them for rewards, gift cards, or discounts from a network of partner brands. After launching, the company reported that users had earned over 270 million miles and redeemed around 40,000 rewards, with an average value of $20 per reward.

Revenue generation for Miles is primarily driven by its partnerships. The company earns money when consumers redeem rewards through the platform, functioning on a commission-based or performance-based fee structure. Another revenue stream comes from offering brands a targeted marketing channel, allowing them to present personalized offers to users based on aggregated, anonymous travel data and predictive AI technology. Miles has secured a total of $20 million in funding across four rounds, with a significant $12.5 million Series A round in July 2021 led by Scrum Ventures. Its investor base includes notable venture firms like JetBlue Technology Ventures, Porsche Ventures, and Sony Innovation Fund. However, according to a notice on its website, the Miles app ceased operations on May 14, 2025, after nearly nine years.

Keywords: universal rewards, travel loyalty, mobile application, rewards platform, transportation data, affiliate marketing, partner network, predictive AI, venture-backed, mobility tracking