In recent years, Ukraine has increasingly positioned itself as a iGaming tech hub, with a number of global companies leveraging its formidable IT outsourcing industry or setting up their own operations in the country. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced companies to scramble to get workers out. 5 Star speaks with Optimove CEO Pini Yakuel.

Please tell us more about the recent grant offered by Optimove to Ukraine team members.

We have a couple of teams in Ukraine, mostly developers but other roles as well. When we saw the situation escalating we realized we cannot sit on our hands while our colleagues struggle with his kind of hardship. Our management team got together and brainstormed ideas. We thought about a heart wrenching scenario where one of our Ukrainian team members wants to leave, but financially struggles with bringing along more family members. We thought that if this grant can help them evacuate as a family, that would be a small, but important step.

What are your Ukrainian team members doing right now?

We approved and sent out the grant as fast as we could, and several team members did make it out to a neighboring country where they are safe. Others are in the process of attempting to leave, which is a challenge in and of itself. Understandably there are problems with the banking system so some team members are struggling with collecting the grant. Instead of outright leaving the country, the individuals who couldn’t collect, relocated to more rural areas of Ukraine, and outside the big cities, to mitigate the risk. Some of them, believe or not, are hard at work. I guess it’s better to do that as it takes their minds off of the current situation. 

How many people have fled Ukraine so far?

We have a total of 22 Ukrainian employees in two teams, in Kyiv and Lviv. Of the 22, eight have relocated to neighboring countries and are safe, the rest are either in the process of leaving or have temporarily relocated to rural Ukraine where they are safer.

How does Optimove operate in such crisis conditions of war in Ukraine?

Our Ukrainian teams are completely integrated with our dev team in Tel Aviv and they work together, even the time zones are aligned. War changes plans and it does so for Optimove as well, but that’s the least of our concerns, we’ll catch up and make it work. Our Israeli developers cover for their Ukrainian colleagues and we try and maintain the team spirit through all this. Our first, and right now only, concern is the wellbeing of our team, and zooming out a bit, the Ukrainian people. 

How do you currently communicate with your team with the unprecedented situation?

We’ve set up a situation room at Optimove HQ in Tel Aviv, with a dedicated phone number and representatives from our HR and Finance teams, to ensure the grants make it to Ukraine, and that Ukrainian team members get quick answers to their questions. Our HR team is in touch with them daily to see if we can help with anything during this trying time. We also offer them psychological and mental support from a professional on chat or video, 24/7 and free of charge.