Aktivate is an integrated management platform that powers scholastic sports and activities.
After recognizing that many families were experiencing financial concerns that prevented their child’s participation in youth sports, Aktivate began seeking out unique ways to break down these barriers. As a result, they partnered with Vertical Insure to implement embedded offers for Gap Medical Insurance and Registration Cancellation Insurance during the registration process.
Now, Aktivate is able to provide peace of mind for families and students, encouraging higher participation rates and more accessibility.
50
US states covered
80+
activities covered
100%
rollout at go-live
5%+
conversion rate
Athletic Departments invest a significant amount of time, energy, and resources into managing the complex organizational and funding mechanics of student sports and activities. To alleviate these burdens, Aktivate formed in 2021 to create a suite of products designed by sports administrators and educators. Today, the platform is trusted by over 2,500 schools and processes over one million registrations.
Supporting Student Athletes and Their Families
Although Aktivate makes it easier for athletic directors, coaches, trainers and state associations to manage their student programs, some families were still concerned about the financial repercussions that could result from their child’s participation.
It quickly became apparent that embedding Gap Medical Insurance was the key to providing that safety net and peace of mind. This type of coverage can reimburse policyholders for up to $5,000 of out-of-pocket medical costs if their child is injured during a practice or a game.
“There’s a huge need for supplemental insurance in the scholastic sports space,” says Shane Emmons, CTO and CIO of Aktivate. “An unexpected accident, even a minor one, is a big concern for a lot of families. [Gap Medical] makes it so they can still participate and know they’re covered if something does happen.”
For the sports and activities that require payment, Registration Cancellation Insurance was also implemented, offering protection for registration fees if the student is no longer able to participate due to unforeseen circumstances.
Adding both Gap Medical Insurance and Registration Cancellation Insurance to the registration flow provides an easy back-up option for families – ultimately supporting more students in pursuing sports and other extracurricular activities.
Choosing the Right Partner
As the need for supplemental insurance grew, Aktivate soon realized that the offer they had already implemented with a previous partner wasn’t conducive to the overall user experience – largely because coverage wasn’t available in all 50 states and registrants weren’t able to purchase insurance directly within the flow.
This began the search for a new partner, with the team landing on Vertical Insure after reviewing their technology capabilities and coverage limits.
In addition to basic product requirements, Aktivate was also looking for a self-sufficient partner that would manage the implementation process without burdening their team.
“We were able to stand this up in a matter of 20 hours over the span of a couple of weeks,” recalls Emmons. “It was very simple, our internal developer was the first to say how easy this was to implement, and you could see value right away.”
Once the offers were embedded, customer adoption was seamless. In the first month alone, the conversion rate easily surpassed 5% for Gap Medical Insurance.
Paving the Road Ahead
The partnership doesn’t end after implementation – Vertical Insure will continue to support Aktivate and the athletes and families that rely on their platform for school sports and activities. This includes Vertical Insure’s full-time customer support team for handling claims and policy-related questions in addition to providing help documentation and marketing materials.
As Aktivate continues to grow and enable even more students to live winning lives, the embedded solutions from Vertical Insure will also evolve and improve with automated A/B testing and other enhancements.
“This is the closest thing to a turnkey partnership that I’ve experienced with a meaningful product,” remarks Emmons. “Vertical Insure is the gold standard when it comes to an embedded partner.”