Another Fortune 500 company has flocked to Georgia Tech’s high-end innovation district in Midtown in hopes of tapping into the area’s talent pipeline.
Travelers Cos., a global insurer based in New York, unveiled Wednesday its new innovation center on the fourth floor of the Coda building at Technology Square. The 2,800 square-foot-office within the building’s WeWork location is Travelers’ first dedicated hub for innovation initiatives that include artificial intelligence, data science and other emerging technologies.
Mojgan Lefebvre, Travelers’ executive vice president and chief technology and operations officer, said her company saw the rapid congregation of large companies in Tech Square and did not want to be left out.
Credit: Courtesy Travelers Cos.
Credit: Courtesy Travelers Cos.
“We wanted to be in the heart of one of the premier innovation districts in the U.S,” she said in a written statement. “It’s a vibrant community with residents like Georgia Tech and several other prominent schools, startups and well-established tech companies. That proximity is important as we continue to grow our talented team and enhance our digital capabilities.”
Founded in 1853, Travelers has grown to more than 30,000 employees and generated about $41 billion of revenue in 2023. The company employs about 700 people in Georgia across its field office in Alpharetta and its data center in Norcross.
Travelers hired 34 technologists to work from its Coda office, which the company calls “Travelers Tech — Atlanta.” The company plans for upward of 70 employees to occupy the hub. Employees work a hybrid schedule of three days in the office.
During an office tour, Travelers employees showed how artificial intelligence can use mapping data to classify clients’ roof shapes and estimate damage from wildfires and tornadoes, speeding up insurance claims.
“These initiatives will help add value throughout our entire organization as we continue our digital transformation journey, enhance our claim processes and provide great experiences for our customers, agents, brokers and employees,” Lefebvre said.
Cushman & Wakefield brokered the Coda lease agreement. Specific lease terms were not disclosed.
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
Tech Square has been credited with revitalizing an underused area of Midtown and juicing Atlanta’s technology prestige. The Coda building, which was developed by Atlanta-based Portman Holdings, houses several incubators and offices for companies like Cisco. Several large companies, including Anthem and Norfolk Southern, rushed to open adjacent office complexes.
The institute and Portman are preparing to develop the district’s third phase, which will include two new towers totaling more than 400,000 square feet. They will be the new home of Georgia Tech’s Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business and H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
“Since it’s inception, Tech Square has been a boon for Midtown Atlanta,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in October 2022 during a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony for the Tech Square’s third phase. “This neighborhood within a neighborhood has helped make Atlanta the talk of the technology world.”
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