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Pinwheel provides an application programming interface that enables financial institutions to access and utilize payroll data. This core product facilitates a range of capabilities including direct deposit switching, income and employment verification, and automated bill payment changes. Their technical approach emphasizes direct connections with various payroll providers, allowing for robust and secure data exchange to streamline financial processes for end-users and institutions.
The company was founded in 2018 by Anish Basu, Curtis Lee, and Kurt Lin. Their insight stemmed from the need to build the world's first API for payroll data, recognizing the potential to unlock a more efficient and transparent financial ecosystem. This foundation enabled them to develop solutions that remove friction from traditional financial processes.
Pinwheel's customers include a wide array of financial institutions, such as credit unions, community banks, large banks, and lenders seeking to enhance their digital offerings. The company's mission is to empower these institutions to attract and retain customers by delivering seamless financial experiences. They aim to reduce friction, increase transparency, and ultimately contribute to a fairer financial system through their activation and lifecycle management solutions.
Pinwheel has raised $77.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Pinwheel has raised $77.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
# Pinwheel: A Payroll Connectivity Platform
Pinwheel is a payroll connectivity API company that bridges the gap between payroll systems and financial applications[2]. Founded in 2018, the company provides a single point of connectivity that allows financial institutions, fintechs, and lenders to securely access income and employment data directly from payroll providers like ADP and Gusto[1][2].
The company solves a critical infrastructure problem: enabling real-time access to verified income and employment information without requiring users to manually share credentials or documents. This unlocks use cases ranging from direct deposit management to income verification for lending and financial products. Pinwheel serves major financial institutions including Robinhood, DoorDash, Chime, Credit Karma, American Express, Discover, Intuit, Acorns, and Visa[2]. The company has demonstrated strong growth, with reported revenue of $21 million and $20 million in total funding[3].
Pinwheel was founded in 2018 by Anish Basu, Curtis Lee, and Kurt Lin, with headquarters in New York City[1]. The founders built the company with a mission to create a fairer financial system by democratizing access to income data that had previously been siloed within payroll systems[1]. By creating direct integrations with major payroll providers, they positioned Pinwheel to become the infrastructure layer that financial innovators could build upon.
The company's early traction came from recognizing that financial services—particularly those serving underserved populations—needed reliable, real-time access to income verification. Rather than competing as a consumer-facing product, Pinwheel chose the B2B API model, embedding itself as essential infrastructure for the fintech ecosystem.
Pinwheel operates at the intersection of two major trends: the financialization of payroll and the rise of open banking infrastructure. As employers and employees increasingly expect real-time access to earned wages and income data, Pinwheel's connectivity layer becomes more valuable. The company benefits from broader regulatory and market momentum toward open banking standards and consumer data access rights.
The timing is particularly significant given the growth of earned wage access (EWA) products, gig economy platforms, and alternative lending models—all of which depend on reliable income verification. By positioning itself as the trusted intermediary between payroll systems and financial applications, Pinwheel influences how the entire fintech ecosystem accesses one of the most critical data points: verified income.
Pinwheel is well-positioned to become the de facto standard for payroll connectivity as financial institutions increasingly prioritize real-time, verified income data over traditional credit-based lending models. The company's focus on direct integrations and developer experience creates defensible competitive advantages in an infrastructure market where reliability and ease of use are paramount.
Looking ahead, Pinwheel's growth will likely accelerate as earned wage access regulations expand, alternative lending models mature, and financial institutions invest in AI-driven personalization that requires real-time income insights. The company's ability to maintain and expand its network of payroll provider integrations—while serving an increasingly diverse set of use cases—will determine whether it becomes a critical piece of financial infrastructure or remains a specialized connectivity tool.
Pinwheel has raised $77.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $50.0M Series B in January 2022.
Pinwheel has raised $77.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Pinwheel's investors include Jeff Richards, Tiffany Luck, Addition, Alkeon Capital, Alven, Bain Capital Ventures, B Capital Group, Coatue, Creandum, Felicis Ventures, First Round Capital, Forerunner Ventures.
