MatchOffice founder Dalhoff focused 24/7 on Ukraine aid and support
New feature! Listen to this article as a podcast
"I just want to make a difference. I think I've become addicted to helping others and fighting injustice, but that's not the worst thing you can get addicted to, I guess ..."
Jakob Dalhoff is the man behind the rental portal MatchOffice, which is headquartered in the western Ukrainian university city of Lviv and currently operates in 19 countries around the world.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Danish entrepreneur has dedicated most of his waking hours to more than 50 projects aimed at helping Ukraine succeed in the war.
The general manager of the MatchOffice rental portal has a background as a real estate investor and commercial broker in Copenhagen. However, in 2016, he decided to relocate the technical development of MatchOffice.com and its Danish counterpart, Lokalebasen.dk, to Lviv.
Different work ethic
"Ukrainians have a different work ethic compared to the Danes. It's important to remember that we need only look back to 1991 when many people in Ukraine sometimes went to bed hungry.
It's been quite a few generations, and people aren't quite as spoiled as they are in the Danish labour market. That gives them a different level of work ethic," Jakob Dalhoff explained to the Danish real estate magazine Estate Media.
  "I want to make a difference. I've become addicted to helping others and fighting injustice, but that's not the worst thing you can get addicted to, I guess ...," Jakob Dalhoff explains to the magazine Estate Media. Photos: MatchOffice |
"For example, one employee mentioned in the semi-annual satisfaction survey that she particularly enjoys working with us because she receives her salary on the last day of the month.
In Ukraine, companies often postpone paydays due to liquidity issues, forcing employees to stay on because their employer owes them money," Jakob Dalhoff adds.
Stayed in Lviv
98% of all foreigners left Ukraine within days of Russia's invasion on the terrible morning of February 24, 2022. But not Jakob Dalhoff.
After a few days of being paralyzed, he heard that the local Rotary Club was helping the soldiers, and it dawned on him that he could make a difference by staying in Lviv and helping out.
 In February 2022, a worried Jakob Dalhoff took the first of later many alarmed trips down to the protective basement under the apartment complex in Lviv. |
"I could guarantee donors in Denmark that if they sent things to Ukraine, the aid would not disappear due to corruption. I could receive their shipments myself, place them in our warehouse and distribute them from there," Jakob Dalhoff summarizes.
Besides various forms of logistics and financing, the Danish director has, among other things, provided 70 mobile medical clinics for villages in eastern Ukraine and sent thousands of leg warmers to the front.
Future projects
Jakob Dalhoff's next project is to establish a mobile drone command centre that can be camouflaged during the day and at night and can remove infrared radiation so that the Russians cannot find the Ukrainian soldiers.
"I initially believed my private aid work would conclude after the war with Russia ended. However, the statements from the US indicate that entirely new opportunities have now emerged," Jakob Dalhoff says.
 Jakob Dalhoff's upcoming project is to establish a mobile drone command centre that could be camouflaged during the day and at night removing infrared radiation hiding the Ukrainian soldiers. |
"Europe is on the brink of making significant investments in defence. Where will the future equipment come from? I believe they would prefer to purchase equipment from Ukraine rather than the United States or other countries.
In a short time, I have identified 17 companies for establishment and investment. My goal is to raise between 30 and 100 million euros from institutional investors for defence investments in Ukraine.
If asked what I will be doing in a year, I anticipate that I will be running and coaching start-ups from Lviv. The situation here is tragic, but personally, my life has never felt more meaningful than it does right now in Ukraine," Jakob Dalhoff emphasizes. ●
Read more:
MatchOffice.om: Curriculum vitae, CEO Jakob Dalhoff
MatchOffice.com: Danish frontline fighter in Ukraine turns 50
MatchOffice.com: Danish company works on high alert in Ukraine
MatchOffice.com: Sad and stressed, but impressed with the Ukrainian spirit
