COLUMBUS, Ga., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac
Incorporated announced today it is pursuing investment
opportunities targeting early-stage companies whose mission is
relevant to Aflac's core business. Designed to help the company
enhance its strategic and innovative focus in both the U.S. and
Japan, Aflac Corporate Ventures
partners with technology accelerators to create the agility
required to quickly identify and invest in early-stage companies,
helping them accelerate innovation across the insurance value
chain, including digital solutions that enhance the customer
experience.
In support of this effort, Aflac Corporate Ventures will
maintain offices in Charlotte, North
Carolina, and in Sunnyvale,
California, as part of a partnership agreement with a
technology accelerator. The company intends to build up to a
$100 million fund over three years,
investing in early-stage companies in both the U.S. and
Japan, depending on the quality
and viability of the opportunities.
"With a greater focus on the customer experience, we feel that
it is vital that Aflac prioritizes potential partners that will
help us enhance services and shareholder value, while building our
future growth engine," Aflac
President of Global Operations Paul
S. Amos II said. "By investing in companies that we see as
vital to our core business, we will be positioned to innovate as
these early-stage companies continue to mature."
Just over a year ago, Aflac acquired Empowered Benefits, a
technology company located in Charlotte,
North Carolina, providing cloud-based benefits
administration and exchange platform solutions to insurance
carriers, brokerages and employers. In the U.S. and Japan, Aflac is actively pursuing investment
opportunities as part of its overall corporate venture
strategy.
Serving as the president of Aflac Corporate Ventures is
Nadeem Khan, who has held numerous
positions of increasing responsibility at Aflac since joining the
company in 2004, including senior vice president of Corporate
Development. He has also been serving as president of Empowered
Benefits, a position he will continue to fill.
"Nadeem is the obvious choice to lead Aflac Corporate Ventures,"
remarked Amos. "He is a key member of our leadership team with a
very successful record. I am confident he will continue to be
successful in creating valuable partnerships that will help Aflac
continue to find innovative ways to enhance the experience of our
customers."
About Aflac
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits
fast. For six decades, Aflac insurance policies have given
policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial
stress. In the United States,
Aflac is the leader in voluntary insurance sales at the worksite.
Through its trailblazing One Day PaySM initiative, Aflac
U.S. can receive, process, approve and disburse payment for
eligible claims in one business day. In Japan, Aflac is the leading provider of
medical and cancer insurance and insures 1 in 4 households. Aflac
insurance products help provide protection to more than 50 million
people worldwide. For 11 consecutive years, Aflac has been
recognized by Ethisphere as one of the World's Most Ethical
Companies. In 2017, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the
100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 19th consecutive
year and included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for
the 16th time. In 2015, Aflac's contact centers were recognized by
J.D. Power by providing "An Outstanding Customer Service
Experience" for the Live Phone Channel. Aflac Incorporated is a
Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the
symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac and One Day
PaySM, visit aflac.com or espanol.aflac.com.
Aflac herein means American Family Life Assurance Company of
Columbus and American Family Life
Assurance Company of New York.
Media contact – Jon Sullivan,
706.763.4813 or jsullivan@aflac.com
Analyst and investor contact – Robin Y. Wilkey,
706.596.3264 or 800.235.2667, FAX: 706.324.6330,
or rwilkey@aflac.com
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aflac-seeks-partners-in-innovation-with-venture-capital-efforts-300425942.html
SOURCE Aflac