PitchIt Podcast #22: Kurtis Lin of Pinwheel

In episode 22 I talk with Kurtis Lin of Pinwheel.

Pinwheel is a payroll connectivity API company used by the biggest financial institutions to securely update direct deposits, access income, and employment data. As their founding ethos says, they are trying to make the financial system fairer.

The really interesting piece for a firm like Pinwheel is that their products not only help the consumer but also help lenders and financial firms have near real-time information. Kurtis and I dig deep into where the financial system is today when it comes to fairness, why payroll connectivity is a game-changer, gig workers, raising capital, and a whole lot more. I hope you enjoy the show.

In this podcast you will learn:

  • Kurtis’s founder story
  • What he learned from his time at Volvo about HSAs
  • Why we need to move away from FICO scores
  • The use cases can be infinite with payroll connectivity
  • Payroll data holds a wealth of information
  • Critical mass was a key in order make a real impact
  • Income needs to be rethought
  • Payroll is the highest piece of the financial stack
  • Culture, especially in the current world, needs to be built intentionally
  • How Pinwheel has built a remote first culture
  • The key to raising money is tying the story back to how the investor can also succeed
  • Kurtis is not a bandwagon Warriors fan
  • Kurtis recommends reading Atomic Habits and Only the Paranoid Survive
  • And more…

This episode was sponsored by Zendesk, a service-first CRM company that builds software designed to improve customer relationships. Qualifying startups get Zendesk free for 6 months.

Download a PDF transcription of Podcast No. 22 with Kurtis Lin.

  • Todd Anderson

    Todd is the host of PitchIt: the fintech startups podcast, a weekly interview show featuring emerging fintech founders and leading venture capitalists. He is responsible for leading the content team which covers fintech through daily & weekly email newsletters, editorial, virtual events, and in-person conferences. He has been covering fintech, banking, and venture capital for more than 15 years, including speaking regularly at industry events.