Integral Ad Science (IAS), a digital ad verification company, is expanding its Chicago presence with the opening of a new office located in the Loop. IAS has operated an office in Chicago since September 2013 and will be relocating to a larger space at One North State.
“As an innovator within ad-tech, IAS values having best-in-class technologies and talent. Our increased commitment to the Chicago area will help us double-down on both of these values,” said Lisa Utzschneider, CEO, IAS. “Our new center of excellence in Chicago will be home to the data scientists and engineers who will continue building the next-generation of ad verification solutions.”
This expansion includes plans to hire up to 150 incremental new roles over the next 12 to 18 months, including data scientists, engineers, analysts and more. Vista Equity Partners purchased a majority stake in the company last June.
Chicago boasts a highly-technical talent pool from some of the Midwest’s top institutions like the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, the University of Notre Dame, Washington University in St. Louis, and more. With their expansion in the region, IAS gains access to some of the country’s top data scientists and engineers to build complex solutions for advertisers, ensuring their ads are fraud-free and placed in brand-suitable environments across the digital ecosystem. In the coming 18 months, IAS plans to strengthen its core verification solutions and build innovative solutions through machine learning and AI capabilities.
“I’m excited to take advantage of the incredible talent in the greater Chicago area as we build out our award-winning technical team,” said Tony Lucia, the firm’s CTO. “We value curiosity, innovation and big thinking. Science is in our DNA here at IAS, and this expansion is going to bring us to new heights when it comes to our capabilities.”