# Jigar Shah

> Jigar Shah is the co-founder and former CEO of Miles, a travel rewards app launched in 2018 after the company was incorporated in 2016. A USC computer science graduate and former Cisco technical and product leader, he built the company with Paresh Jain and Parin Shah, developed transit and automotive partnerships, and expanded into Japan. Miles closed its app in May 2025; in August 2026, Shah published an account of the decision to wind down a business he said had reached break-even.

- **Role:** Entrepreneur; software engineer; former technology executive
- **Organizations:** Miles (co-founder and former CEO), Cisco Systems (former employee)
- **Education:** Master’s in Computer Science, University of Southern California
- **Known for:** Co-founded Miles and led its development from incorporation in 2016 through a United States launch in 2018 and Japan launch in 2021., Built rewards partnerships with transport agencies and an automotive rewards program with Stellantis., Miles announced a $12.5 million Series A in July 2021 and reported seven million rewards redeemed at that time.

## Career timeline

- **2006-2007** — Studied at the University of Southern California; his founder interview identifies his degree as a master’s in computer science.
- **Before Miles** — Worked at Cisco Systems in software engineering, technical leadership and product management; also advised startups.
- **2016-03-24** — Incorporated Miles with co-founders Paresh Jain and Parin Shah; Shah later recalled 427 days between the original idea and incorporation.
- **2018-07** — Launched the Miles app; Porsche Digital publicly announced its investment on July 24.
- **2019** — Miles partnered with SamTrans and Caltrain on transit rewards.
- **2021-07** — Miles announced a $12.5 million Series A led by Scrum Ventures, bringing total disclosed funding at that time to $20 million.
- **2021-10** — Miles launched in Japan on October 20; Stellantis announced its Miles program on October 28.
- **2025-05** — The Miles app ceased service on May 14; Shah later described the company wind-down as beginning in mid-2025.
- **2026-08-31** — Published Miles - One Heck of a Journey, reflecting on the wind-down and a renewed interest in building.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Miles and led its development from incorporation in 2016 through a United States launch in 2018 and Japan launch in 2021.
- Built rewards partnerships with transport agencies and an automotive rewards program with Stellantis.
- Miles announced a $12.5 million Series A in July 2021 and reported seven million rewards redeemed at that time.
- In his August 2026 retrospective, Shah reported peak scale of more than seven million registered members, more than 800 customers, a team exceeding 50 people, approximately $30 million raised over the company’s life and annual revenue approaching $5 million. These are founder-reported figures.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Published a founder retrospective explaining Miles’ mid-2025 wind-down, including break-even operations, debt obligations, a rejected Series B term sheet and unsuccessful acquisition negotiations.
- **2025-05** — Miles app service ended on May 14, 2025.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jigarkshah
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/jigarksh

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jigar-shah-miles
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22