Verizon Business helps unveil Truist Innovation & Technology Center

NEW YORK – To enable acceleration in the financial services segment, today Verizon Business joined Truist in Charlotte, North Carolina to support the launch of their new Innovation & Technology Center (ITC). The 100,000-square-foot facility features individual working spaces, collaboration hubs, a client research lab, a variety of open and closed meeting rooms, and areas to “recharge and re-energize” – equipped with games and lounge furniture.

Verizon Business will serve as a founding partner for the Innovators in Residence program, a partnership taking place within the ITC, where visionaries from tech giants and startups collaborate on and explore new and emerging technologies to help address financial and community challenges. Other founding partners include Amazon Web Services and Unqork.

With more than six million daily interactions occurring at Truist, Verizon Business’s participation in the ITC demonstrates the organization’s commitment to innovation in the financial services segment. With the power of its 5G Ultra Wideband network, Verizon Business is enabling financial organizations to develop solutions to reimagine the commerce experience.

“The demand for digital experiences has altered the business landscape,” said Sampath Sowmyanarayan, CRO, Verizon Business. “The ability to innovate to stay ahead of demand is essential for success. Truist is a like-minded partner with a desire to drive change and the Innovators in Residence program and its partner ecosystem will serve as the proving ground for delivering positive outcomes for businesses, consumers and communities.”

“We are thrilled to have the support of Verizon Business in launching our Innovation & Technology Center (ITC),” said Ken Meyer, divisional chief information and experience officer at Truist. “Their understanding of the power of networks combined with cutting edge fintech solutions will accelerate the types of innovations we hope to develop through the ITC.”

Within the ITC, purpose-specific workspaces are dedicated to driving advancements in financial services. These workplaces include:

• Client Journey Rooms – where client relationships are fully mapped out, studied and optimized to create better experiences. Each room is dedicated to distinct types of client needs.
• Makers Space – where teammates build rapid prototypes to experiment and test new experiences.
• Reality Lab – where virtual and augmented reality technology is used to create the future of banking.
• Contact Center – an 18-person call center where engineers, designers and product owners can connect with agents to get instant and immediate feedback on client experiences, and they can plug into calls to hear feedback directly from clients.
• Tree Houses – where new prototypes will be showcased to let people explore the possibilities that in-home and voice technologies can deliver, such as financial education and banking services.
• The Park – where teammates can meet to discuss a project or find tranquility. It resembles a community park with plenty of greenery, natural light and swings to help spark creativity.

The Truist Innovation & Technology Center has already won the CoreNet Global Carolinas Chapter CORE Award for Innovation Project of the Year.

Today’s announcement supports Verizon’s core areas of growth and innovation across mobility, nationwide broadband, mobile edge computing and business solutions, the value market and network monetization.

For more information about the ITC, please visit https://www.truist.com/innovation-technology-center.