Pinwheel provides infrastructure for payroll connectivity, powering direct deposit switching, income verification, and paycheck-linked lending. The sales team sells into banks, credit unions, and fintechs - many of which expect polished, technically credible demos to understand Pinwheel’s SDK.
Before Coast, Pinwheel relied on static assets and design prototypes. AEs were limited to fixed flows, and demo creation required SE support to configure use-case-specific experiences. With “9 people that needed to demo,” says Jacob Rigsby, Solutions Engineer at Pinwheel, they “needed a solution built for personalization at scale.”
Shifting to Coast
When Pinwheel adopted Coast, it changed how AEs operated. Instead of relying on SEs to own the demo experience, any rep could spin up a branded, use-case-specific demo on the fly. Coast embedded real SDK logic, letting technical buyers inspect credentials and code while giving non-technical champions a clean narrative.
"It’s incredibly easy to create your own demo that's branded and on-color. I can build it on a call in 30 seconds," said Kilian Donovan, an AE at Pinwheel. "I've had prospects ask: 'Wait, how did you do that?'"
This shift proved especially valuable when SE bandwidth was stretched. While one Pinwheel’s newest AE ramped, and their sole SE was on paternity leave, reps ran demos end-to-end without issue.
Flexible Demos Drive Deal Confidence
With Coast, Pinwheel moved from static walkthroughs to flexible, interactive experiences. New products like Pay by Paycheck were demo-ready instantly. Previously, showing a complete flow meant jumping between demos. Now, it’s all in one link.
"Before, we had to piece together Verify and Direct Deposit Switch from multiple flows. Now we just show the full journey - mobile, desktop, whatever they need."
For credit unions and small fintechs, Coast’s ability to showcase a prospect’s brand made an outsized impression.
"These $100M credit unions aren’t used to seeing branded demos with their logo. Coast lets us deliver that level of polish, even for a first call."
Speed and Simplicity Win More
Donovan attributes faster sales cycles and better first impressions to Coast. One deal valued at $92K closed in large part because the buyer was impressed with the live demo experience.
"It was my third-ever demo. But they told us they were blown away. We heard from another vendor that the demo set us apart."
Even for known champions, being able to highlight new features like pre-match capabilities visually accelerated decisions.
Favorite Features
- Branded demos in seconds: Tailored colors, logos, and flows without design help
- Embedded code + credentials: Technical transparency for developer audiences and live APIs
- Live configuration: AEs can modify flows mid-call to match use cases based on discovery
Outcome
Today, Pinwheel AEs lead with Coast demos. There’s no dependency on SEs for standard flows.
"If I left and joined a company without Coast, I’d push them to get it," said Donovan.
The sales process is faster. The buyer experience is stronger. And every rep can deliver technical, polished, and comprehensive demos independently.
