Sparrow and Pilot: A Partnership that Makes Sense

play icon

Sparrow x Pilot


As Pilot scaled rapidly, they chose Sparrow to manage all their leave needs.


Pilot is not Waseem Daher, Jeff Arnold, and Jessica McKellar’s first rodeo…or their second…but their third. Pilot, a Series B startup that manages bookkeeping for startups, is the latest company in the triumvirate’s repertoire. After founding three successful companies in 10 years, this founding team knows well how to navigate the complicated regulations and paperwork associated with running a company.

Pilot’s Dilemma

With all their experience, the founders know how essential investing in work-life balance is for their team’s motivation and productivity, so when one of their employees, an engineer, had a child they encouraged him to take advantage of the leave he was eligible for, and tried to make it as easy as possible for him.

“Working with Sparrow allows us to support our team members who take leave no matter where they’re located, saving us hundreds of hours each year.”

Waseem Daher
Founder and CEO, Pilot

They knew that their employee could file paperwork with the state to receive a partially paid leave, but with their experience, they knew they had little time to spare to understand the details of the state regulations, paperwork, endorsements, and deadlines.

“Understanding the paperwork, compliance issues, and payroll changes would have taken us and our employee too many hours to manage,” Waseem explained, “Our time was better spent running our business.” Ultimately, the Pilot team decided not to manage the associated paperwork, a decision that ended up costing them an additional $7,500 - $25,000.

The Solution to Pilot’s Dilemma

One year after that first leave, another valued member of Pilot’s team needed to take a family leave. The Pilot founders still did not have time to learn about the regulations, local ordinances, and payroll changes they would need to make to integrate their employees salary with state benefits. Not to mention, they definitely did not want to ask their employee to waste her time in the weeks before her leave navigating the ins and outs of the regulations on her own.

This time, Pilot partnered with Sparrow to save them precious time and thousands of dollars per employee leave. “Leave compliance is complicated. Using Sparrow is not. Integrating Sparrow took 30 minutes, it was simple and easy to use, and it saves us more than $100,000 each year. They handled everything from beginning to end. Our decision to work with Sparrow spared our COO hours delving into the nuances of local regulations and managing complicated payroll calculations, and it ensured that our employee was able to focus on her family during her leave.”

Sparrow’s unique user-focused approach simplifies extended employee leave—for both leave administrators and employees. They file all of the necessary paperwork, manage crucial deadlines, assist with compliance, and develop a personalized payroll plan for each employee’s unique circumstances, ensuring that companies and their employees are guaranteed a seamless leave experience.

Sparrow is the best end to end leave of absence partner for companies of any size. Pilot understands that the key to success starts with smart collaborations and while startups trust Pilot with their bookkeeping, Pilot trusts Sparrow with their leave management.