It’s no secret that the current pandemic is impacting how businesses work together to meet customer needs. The desire to bring products and solutions to customers as quickly as possible is providing an opportunity for companies to reimagine how they meet their customers’ needs even more than pre-COVID-19 which includes establishing partnerships that hadn’t been considered.

"This is an ideal time for us to remind the business community about the best ways for us to all be innovative together,” said Timothy Wolf, chief executive officer of Atlas Venture Partners.

On November 6, Atlas Partners held its annual Atlas Innovation Summit, a Midwest gathering that brings entrepreneurs, innovators and businesses throughout the region together. Sponsored by Nationwide and LOUD Capital, this year’s four-hour virtual summit focused on demystifying venture capital and discussing how local innovators are thriving in this new era of innovation.

“The easiest way to educate people on the current landscape of venture capital investing and innovation is to give them a peek behind the curtain of what large companies are doing in those areas," said Chetan Kandhari, Nationwide's chief innovation, and digital transformation. "These sessions go a long way to easing fears that insurtechs have with working with larger carriers.”

"Partnering with Nationwide on this summit reminds us of the collaborative nature that uplifts and empowers the work we both do to support our community,” said Navin Goyal, chief executive officer of LOUD Capital.

Summit attendees gained insight into Nationwide’s venture capital and strategic partnership strategies, heard from Nationwide execs and innovation associates about some of the projects they are working on using human-centered design principles, and experienced what a day in the life of a Nationwide associate looks like – all from the comfort of their computer.

“The Midwest’s innovation community is extremely strong, and Nationwide has been fortunate to be welcomed with open arms by them,” said Kandhari. “What we’ve learned over the last year is that this community is seeking true partnership from us. Our hope is events like the Atlas Innovation Summit will break down some barriers and lead to more of those collaborations.”

More information about partnering with Nationwide can be found here.