DURHAM — Even during a pandemic, Policygenius is forging some big partnerships.

On Tuesday, the insurtech startup based out of New York with second headquarters in Durham announced that it has an “exclusive collaboration” with Fortune 500 life insurance provider Brighthouse Financial to bring a new life insurance product to market.

It’s called Brighthouse SimplySelect, and the companies say it enables customers to apply for up to $2 million term life coverage in minutes with no medical exam.

“Interest in getting life insurance has surged broadly due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but with social distancing guidelines in place, many consumers are concerned about taking the medical exam involved in applying,” Policygenius Brooke Niemeyer told WRAL TechWire. “Product development began before the pandemic, but the launch is especially timely given the need for virtual insurance operations.”

Brighthouse Financial is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Through this product, it is offering life insurance protection with guaranteed coverage for 10, 20, or 30 years. To apply, consumers visit the Policygenius website to answer a few questions and then work with a licensed Policygenius agent to complete the application by telephone.

There are no required medical exams, and consumers aren’t asked to undergo lab work. “[This] significantly speeding up the underwriting process and enabling consumers to get a decision faster than is typically possible with a traditional underwriting process,” the company said per release.

“We know it’s important for families to get the financial protection they need,” added Jennifer Fitzgerald, CEO and co-founder of Policygenius, in a statement. “We are excited for this relationship to help even more families get life insurance right.”

Policygenius billboard on 15-501

Policygenius announced the opening of a second headquarters in Durham in September 2019, and is set to occupy over 48,000 square feet at 555 Mangum Street,  currently under construction and scheduled to be completed later this year. The company said it was bringing 370 new jobs with an average starting salary of $72,000.

In January, Policygenius also announced a $100 million in Series D funding led by global investment firm KKR.

Founded by Jennifer Fitzgerald and Francois de Lame in 2014, Policygenius provides a digital experience for consumers to navigate the entire insurance buying process. It is one of the fastest-growing life insurance distributors with $45 billion in life coverage issued to date.

In 2019, Policygenius launched a new property and casualty insurance offering, which scaled to more than $10 million in revenue in less than 12 months. It also added about 180 new employees and opened a second headquarters in Durham, North Carolina.

Flush with $100M, Policygenius ramps up hiring for Durham HQ with 200+ jobs on offer