Jacob always put himself at the bottom of the list: “It resulted in a stress collapse that forced me to reassess my priorities”

THE ENTREPRENEUR JOURNEY: Jacob Nielsen is an entrepreneur and founder of unihelper.io, a company created to strengthen social and professional communities among students. The idea for unihelper.io came about when Jacob noticed that many students, especially those new to a city, experienced loneliness and a lack of belonging, often because they were not part of a study group. This often led to students dropping out of the program, which motivated Jacob to find a solution.

With a strong interest in improving student wellbeing, he took the initiative to develop a digital platform that could match students in study groups from day one of their studies. Jacob collaborated with co-founders and developed unihelper.io, which was successfully tested at Aarhus BSS in 2018. The platform quickly became popular and received positive feedback from both students and educational institutions across Denmark. It turned out that the need for social communities was universal, and this created the foundation for unihelper.io’s growth.

Unihelper.io has since expanded its reach to several countries, including the UK and Norway. With a recent investment, Jacob and the team are now working to scale the company further, including through participation in the renowned ASU ScaleU accelerator in Arizona, USA.

When did you know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

I never saw myself as an entrepreneur. When I was young, I pretty much only played soccer, and it wasn’t until I got older that I started considering other options. When I moved to Aarhus in 2016 to study, I saw how many of my fellow students struggled with well-being and social challenges. It opened my eyes to how important it is to make connections between people.

Before I went to Aarhus, I was lucky enough to go to business school with some people who later appeared on the TV program Kontant. They called themselves entrepreneurs, but their approach was mostly about exploiting the system, cheating where they could and spending money on champagne at Crazy Daisy. It gave me a very negative image of what entrepreneurship was, and I thought at the time that if that was the way it was supposed to be, I would never go down that path.

My perspective changed when I met inspiring people in the entrepreneurial community around The Kitchen who made a big impression on me. Their passion and motivation to make a difference showed me what entrepreneurship really was. It quickly became clear to me that I could combine my joy of helping others with a job that felt meaningful. The freedom and possibilities of entrepreneurship appeal to me and I am grateful to have chosen this path. Seeing the difference unihelper.io makes to students, teachers and ultimately society confirms that it was the right decision.

What has been the wildest moment in your entrepreneurial journey?

The wildest moment of my entrepreneurial journey has to be when I stood on stage in front of 7,000 people and received a grant at a pitch competition in Fredericia. It was a surreal experience to present our idea in front of so many people and be recognized for our work. But apart from such highlights, the most significant thing has been to create something unique in an otherwise conservative market.

We’ve developed a solution that had no obvious inspiration from anywhere else – a so-called “blue ocean strategy” – and navigated through countless challenges with optimism, stubbornness and a little naivety. Breaking through and seeing how our work is making a real difference to student wellbeing is incredibly rewarding.

In addition, it has been a milestone to gather a strong team and partners who share the vision that this is much bigger than our personal finances. The social impact of the project and the fact that we are making a difference keeps both my motivation and our collaborations going, especially in a world where there has probably never been a greater need to stand together. That’s what makes the journey worthwhile.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned about yourself?

I have learned so much about myself through my entrepreneurial journey. One of the most important insights has been understanding my limits and the ability to prioritize. I used to put my work first, followed by my studies, friends and family – while I put myself at the very bottom of the list. This resulted in a stress collapse that forced me to re-evaluate my priorities. I learned that entrepreneurship is not a sprint, but a marathon, and that it’s crucial to find a balance where I also take care of myself.

Now I know that the most important thing is to take care of yourself and your loved ones first. Work is exciting and important, but it should never overshadow the fundamentals of life. I try to create the same balance for my colleagues and co-founders, always emphasizing that issues at home must be prioritized.

I’ve also learned to accept my limitations and focus on what I’m good at. Instead of trying to do everything myself, I’ve become better at delegating and involving talented people who can lift the company. This has made me stronger as a leader and given me more energy to think long-term.

Indlægget Jacob always put himself at the bottom of the list: “It resulted in a stress collapse that forced me to reassess my priorities” blev først udgivet på TechSavvy.