Extend provides a spend and expense management platform that makes existing business credit cards programmable through virtual card issuance, real-time controls, automated accounting workflows, and embedded financial technology. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Extend Co-Founder and CEO Andrew Jamison to learn more.
Jamison’s Background
When asked about his professional background and the experiences that shaped his approach to financial technology, Jamison shared:
I’ve spent my career at the intersection of commercial payments infrastructure and enterprise resource planning solutions, more commonly known as ERPs.
A formative part of that was inside American Express, where I worked across commercial card programs and saw firsthand how issuers think about risk, economics, and long-term customer relationships. That perspective fundamentally shaped how I approach fintech.
I’ve always believed that the most durable innovation in financial services doesn’t come from trying to rip out the system. It comes from understanding how it works and upgrading it intelligently.
That mindset became the foundation for Extend.
How Extend Started
When discussing how the idea for Extend came together, Jamison explained:
The idea came from a simple observation: Business credit cards are everywhere, but the operating system around them hasn’t meaningfully evolved.
Finance teams were dealing with shared cards, reconciliation headaches, and limited visibility. At the same time, I understood how cautious and infrastructure-constrained banks have been.
The insight was this: Instead of launching yet another card program, what if we made existing card programs programmable?
Extend was built as an innovation layer on top of commercial cards, enhancing controls, driving visibility, and delivering efficiencies without requiring businesses to change banks or credit relationships.
That alignment with issuers is core to our strategy.
Meaningful Customer Impact
When asked about his favorite memory from building Extend, Jamison recalled:
The most meaningful moments are when we see traditional financial institutions embrace what we’re building. When a major bank integrates Extend into its commercial card offering and its customers immediately see operational improvements, that’s powerful.
On the customer side, I remember a CFO telling us we reduced a full day of monthly reconciliation work to minutes. That’s not just product-market fit. That’s operational impact.
Those moments reinforce that we’re building scalable infrastructure and meaningful workflows, not just features.
Core Products And Capabilities
When describing Extend’s core products and capabilities, Jamison detailed:
At our core, we make business credit cards programmable.
That includes:
- Instant virtual card issuance
- Real-time spend controls and approval workflows
- Universal card connectivity
- AI-powered expense categorization
- Automated receipt capture and accounting integrations
- Embedded APIs for partners
But the bigger picture is this: We connect payments directly into accounting and operational workflows.
Cards shouldn’t just be payment tools. They should be intelligent financial instruments.
Financial Technology Challenges
When asked about the challenges Extend has faced in the financial technology sector, Jamison noted:
One challenge is the misconception that fintech innovation must be disruptive.
In financial services, trust and compliance matter more than speed alone. Banks are cautious for good reason. We chose to build within that ecosystem rather than compete against it.
Another challenge has been navigating macroeconomic pressure. When capital tightens and margins shrink, finance teams demand more control. Fortunately, that environment reinforces our value proposition.
Control and visibility aren’t luxuries. They’re strategic necessities.
Evolution Into Financial Infrastructure
When discussing how Extend has evolved since its launch, Jamison described:
We started focused on virtual cards and spend controls.
Today, we’ve evolved into a broader spend and expense management platform with universal card connectivity, AI-driven automation, and deeper accounting integrations.
More importantly, we’ve expanded our embedded distribution model with financial institutions.
Extend has evolved from a tool into a layer of infrastructure sitting between transaction origination and financial reporting.
Major Company Milestones
When asked about Extend’s most significant milestones, Jamison said:
Key milestones include:
- Partnerships with major financial institutions such as American Express, BMO, Regions, HSBC, PNC, and others
- Expanding advanced virtual card capabilities
- Powering billions in transaction volume
- Launching universal card connectivity
- Expanding into a full expense management suite
Each milestone reflects deeper institutional integration and trust, which is critical in payments.
Extend’s Differentiators
When asked what differentiates Extend from its competitors, Jamison emphasized:
Three structural differences stand out:
- We enhance existing card programs instead of issuing our own.
- We partner with banks rather than compete with them.
- We focus on operational finance needs, not just the user interface.
Many fintechs create new financial relationships. We strengthen the ones businesses already have.
That alignment creates durability.
Future Goals
When discussing Extend’s future goals, Jamison concluded:
Our long-term goal is simple: Make business cards programmable by default.
We’re continuing to expand embedded capabilities within financial institutions, deepen AI-driven automation, and grow internationally.
Ultimately, we want spend controls to become proactive instead of reactive, policy-aware at the moment of transaction, and seamlessly integrated into financial systems. That’s where corporate payments are headed.
Cards are everywhere. Intelligence around them is not. That’s the gap we’re closing.