iPermit CEO Ian Jacoby joins follow Inc advisory board

follow Inc said iPermit President and CEO Ian Jacoby joined its Advisory Board on Aug. 19, 2026, as the company builds its Instagram-based followNET network and prepares to launch its followOS AI advertising platform in 2027. Jacoby will advise on go-to-market strategy, partnerships, fundraising and operations.

Why it matters: - follow Inc is adding an operator with experience scaling a national services business as it pushes into owned media and AI-driven advertising. - Jacoby's background in practical automation and partnerships lines up with follow Inc's focus on building products for small and mid-sized businesses. - The hire signals follow Inc wants guidance on execution, not just product vision, as followNET and followOS move toward launch.

What happened: - follow Inc announced that Ian Jacoby, President and Chief Executive Officer of iPermit, joined its Advisory Board, effective Aug. 19, 2026. - Jacoby will advise the founding team as follow Inc builds followNET, its Instagram-based owned-media network. - Jacoby will also advise on followOS, follow Inc's autonomous AI advertising platform for small and mid-sized businesses, targeted for launch in the second quarter of 2027.

The details: - Jacoby has spent more than 20 years helping grow iPermit into a nationwide permitting, testing and inspection services company. - iPermit has processed more than 1 million permits nationwide. - Jacoby helped lead development of iPermit's proprietary platform and automated workflows. - iPermit has direct integrations with The Home Depot and ServiceTitan. - follow Inc said Jacoby will provide strategic guidance on company direction, go-to-market strategy, commercial partnerships, fundraising and operations across followNET and followOS. - Jacoby will also advise CEO Dean K. Ladell on organizational design, senior hiring and platform and channel partnerships. - Jacoby serves only in an advisory capacity and has no office, directorship or authority to bind follow Inc. - Dean K. Ladell said Jacoby's experience solving complex small-business processes through technology and partnerships fits the problem followOS is built to solve for advertising.

Between the lines: - follow Inc is leaning on an operator who has scaled a tech-enabled business in a traditionally manual industry. - That suggests the company wants help translating AI and media strategy into commercial execution. - The advisory role also points to a focus on fundraising, partnerships and organizational buildout ahead of launch.

What's next: - follow Inc plans to keep building followNET toward a funded portfolio target of 350 million aggregate followers across 2,200 managed accounts. - followOS remains targeted for launch in the second quarter of 2027. - Jacoby will continue advising on strategy, partnerships and operations as the company moves toward those milestones. - More information is available at follow-inc.com.