MassMutual’s Boston expansion is all about the talent.

The Springfield-based insurance company broke ground Tuesday on a 17-story, 310K SF Fan Pier office building where it plans to employ 1,000 people. The move is part of a greater $300M Massachusetts expansion for the company, which also plans to add 1,500 jobs at its Springfield headquarters by 2021.

“Expanding on both ends of the state — from Springfield to Boston — allows us to tap into the incredible talent pool and network of higher education institutions that Massachusetts offers,” MassMutual Chairman, President and CEO Roger Crandall said at the groundbreaking. “Our new location at Fan Pier gives us the opportunity to immerse ourselves in one of America’s leading centers for innovation.”

The Boston office is expected to focus on technology and digital initiatives and tap into a local talent base the company would likely not have been able to recruit for MassMutual’s Western Massachusetts headquarters.

The Elkus Manfredi-designed 10 Fan Pier Blvd. building will also be the new headquarters for the MassChallenge startup accelerator. MassMutual was a founding partner last year in MassChallenge’s first financial technology programs.

“Massachusetts is home to one of the nation’s leading innovation economies and we are excited to welcome MassMutual’s expansion into Eastern Massachusetts while also celebrating their continued investment in Springfield and Western Massachusetts,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said at the groundbreaking.