When José Amado-Blanco gets up in the morning, he says to himself “come on, let's go change the world!” And the 35-year-old has already done just that in one area. Together with Tobias Gunzenhauser and Luca Michas, the food technologist founded the startup Yamo seven years ago. They started with the production of healthy baby food back in 2018, and have since added fruit purées, bars and drinks for older children to their range. What began with playful research among friends is now a startup with 30 employees that not only sells its products in Switzerland, but also in many other European countries including Spain, Germany, the UK and Belgium. This idea was born in 2016 and stemmed from the desire of the two co-founders Gunzenhauser and Michas to live vegan for a month. To help them avoid animal ingredients during this time, they studied the ingredient lists of various foods. What they read on the packaging of products like muesli, ravioli and spreads shocked them: they couldn't quite believe how many unhealthy additives the products contained! They contemplated which food would likely be the most natural? Their conclusion: baby food! But their assumption was wide of the mark: they also found dubious ingredients in the nutritional information of the food made for our little ones. They resolved to do things better. To get their startup off the ground, the business administrator Gunzenhauser and the marketing manager Michas still needed somebody who knew something about food technology. José Amado-Blanco came to join the team through a personal contact. He had just completed his Master in Life Sciences in Food and Beverage Innovation at the School of Life Sciences and Facility Management. Together, the three young entrepreneurs founded Yamo. In the early days, José Amado-Blanco was responsible for product development. “I kept nagging my former ZHAW lecturers until they provided me with a laboratory space and measuring equipment,” he recalls with a smile. Amado-Blanco purchased carrots, potatoes and apples and fiddled with recipes. The goal was to create an organic baby food that tastes great and is 100% natural – without any added sugar, added salts or concentrates. “I kept nagging my former ZHAW lecturers until they provided me with a laboratory space and measuring equipment.” José Amado-Blanco, ZHAW graduate The food technologist gave the result of his cooking skills to around 50 mothers for testing. He and his comrades-in-arms not only wanted to know from them what they thought about the new baby food, but also how they felt about the food they provided for their little ones in general. The young entrepreneurs realised that most mothers cooked the baby food themselves. Those who gave their children purchased baby food did so with a tinge of guilt. “It was here that we identified a gap in the market,” explains José Amado-Blanco: “Offering healthier baby food that parents can give to their children with a clear conscience.” The sticking point was how to preserve the baby food. Conventional sterilisation processes that use heat not only kill microorganisms, but also destroy vitamins and change the product’s flavour and colour. Amado-Blanco found the solution in high-pressure pasteurisation. When this physical process is utilised, it is only undesired microorganisms and enzymes that are deactivated by the pressure, while the remaining quality characteristics of the food remain unchanged. However, high-pressure pasteurisation is expensive and is therefore used only in rare cases, such as for the preservation of guacamole, seafood and meat for the catering industry. In the case of baby food, the Yamo founders thought that parents may be prepared to pay a little more for good quality. “I’m a strategist who knows something about the product and also ensures that things are going well financially.” José Amado-Blanco, startup co-founder And they were right: when they launched their baby foods on the market in 2018, the sales curve quickly turned up sharply. The founders soon developed further products. These are produced according to Yamo's recipes by partners abroad: the baby food in the Netherlands, the fruit purées in Spain, the bars in France and the Tetra Paks in Germany. The products are now often also sold in large supermarket chains; in Switzerland, for example, at Coop and Alnatura. However, Yamo generates the largest share of its turnover via online shipping. It was not only the startup that underwent rapid change, but also the task performed by Amado-Blanco, who transitioned from his role as tinkerer to a management post. This was even more to his liking. He enjoys dealing with the big picture and with innovations that are as complex as possible. “I’m a strategist who knows something about the product and also ensures that things are going well financially,” he says. Amado-Blanco shares that it is this combination of science and business that interests him and that this is what he learned during his training. He transitioned to the field of food technology after dropping out of his biology studies. As natural sciences alone were too restrictive for him and too far removed from practice, he completed a Bachelor in Food Science and Management at the Bern University of Applied Sciences before subsequently doing his Master’s degree at the ZHAW in Wädenswil. He travelled to Honduras for his Master’s thesis, where he attempted to find out why a third of the cocoa harvested there went mouldy. Amado-Blanco travelled through half of Central America in order to learn about the experiences of other cocoa producers. He found that the Honduran sun is not strong enough to dry the cocoa. The solution: mechanical drying systems. Finally, the student helped local engineers in designing and building this equipment. During his studies, José Amado-Blanco realised that he is a founder in nature. “I was inspired by two lecturers at the ZHAW in Wädenswil,” he says. “They had both founded startups themselves and we had very interesting conversations about this.” If you want to establish a startup, you need one quality above all others, states Amado-Blanco: “You have to feel comfortable when faced with uncertainty. You never know what the next day will bring.” “If your work is fulfilling, then you also need less compensation in return.” José Amado-Blanco Many would think that a startup might be a scene of bedlam. However, Amado-Blanco hits back at this assumption: “That isn’t the case. But if a company does grow quickly, you can’t keep up when it comes to adapting its structures.” He states that a structure that has been developed for three people will not work for six. And no sooner have you adapted it to cater for six employees than you’ve already got a workforce of ten. What's more, a change, such as a new competitor on the market, may lead to a major crisis, he continues. “And then the employees and investors look to the founders to respond. This is something you have to be able to live with.” On top of this, there is the burden on your time. José Amado-Blanco worked an average of 70 hours per week for seven years, sometimes even clocking up 80 hours. During this time, he took only five weeks of holiday – in total. But for him, this was the right this to do: “I am not a fan of the term work-life balance. I don’t make a distinction between work and leisure, but rather try to combine the two in a meaningful way.” Amado-Blanco shares that his goal is always to work in such a way that he would continue in precisely the same manner even if he was no longer dependent on being paid. “If your work is fulfilling, then you also need less compensation in return,” he emphasises. And yet Amado-Blanco has just taken some time off: he recently returned from a three-month trip to Asia. Before setting off, he left the operational side of Yamo’s business. However, he still remains a partner. “It’s time for a change,” he says. He does not yet know where his next professional adventure will take him. He is applying for advertised roles, but in an ideal world he would like to launch a startup again. “I am working on three ideas,” he reveals. While he is happy to share that two of them are in the food sector, José Amado-Blanco doesn't want to say any more just yet. The only thing that is certain is that in future he would like to look after his one-year-old niece regularly. Seraina Sattler

Where does the greatest potential for stopping climate change lie? This was the question running through the mind of Patrik Deuss when he was looking for a topic for his Bachelor’s thesis. Heating systems? The mobility sector? Lighting fittings? “I noticed that the lights in the corridors In the ZHAW buildings were always on,” says the energy and environmental engineer. “The caretaker explained to me that lighting control systems are a complex matter.” Conventional systems have a single motion detector in each room and can only illuminate the space surrounding them either completely or not at all. “There must be a more needs-oriented way of doing things,” thought Deuss. And in that moment he had found the topic for his Bachelor's thesis. The ZHAW student began to develop a prototype of an intelligent luminaire. His idea was to move from a centralised to a decentralised system: Each luminaire should have its own “brain.” The sensor in the LED tube not only detects movements, but also the temperature, humidity and incident light from natural sources such as windows. All of the hardware, which is otherwise distributed around the room, is integrated within each individual luminaire – the sensor, the illuminant and the cable. “Together, the luminaires work like a swarm,” explains Deuss. “Exactly as much light is produced as is needed at any one time.” Deuss states that this can save 90 percent of the power used for lighting. Patrik Deuss quickly realised that his idea was attracting attention from potential customers. As he was reaching his limits in terms of the software’s development, he called in Florian Gärtner, an electrical engineer and friend from his time as a competitive downhill racer. The two of them founded the startup LEDCity and benefited from the ZHAW Startup Challenge. For six months, they were able to make use of office space free of charge, were offered support by a coach and received training on topics such as patent applications, business plans and searching for investors. The young founders started to have their luminaires mass-produced in Asia. “Most of the electronic components on the LED market are produced in China,” explains Patrick Deuss. “Our material eventually arrives in Switzerland via train.” “By 2030, we want to convert 12 million luminaires and thus save an amount of electricity equivalent to that produced by a nuclear power plant.” In 2017, Deuss and Gärtner sold their first luminaire and the company has been growing ever since. LEDCity currently has 42 employees and new branches have recently been opened in Germany and Spain. The startup specialises in commercial buildings and has a customer portfolio that includes Zurich Airport, the ZHAW and the Dolder Grand. Due to the tense situation on the energy market at the moment, the level of interest in smart luminaires has risen sharply once more, says Deuss. In commercial buildings, lighting is responsible for up to 30 percent of electricity costs. Patrik Deuss and Florian Gärtner have big goals: By 2030, they want to covert 12 million luminaires and thus save an amount of electricity equivalent to that produced by a nuclear power plant. While this might sound unrealistic at first, Deuss backs up this objective with maths: In 2022 alone, LEDCity will convert 55,000 luminaires. To date, Deuss explains, the startup’s production has grown on average by more than 100 percent each year – and the target would be achieved with annual growth of just 77 percent up to the end of the decade. “It is always easier and more cost-effective to save power than it is to produce it sustainably.” LEDCity's vision goes even further: By 2040, the aim is for efficient LED lighting systems to reduce global power consumption in the lighting sector by 80 percent. “Of course, we can't do it alone,” says Deuss. “However, we are kick-starting the market.” For example, the developers are working on a small sensor that incorporates all the technology found in the LEDCity tubes, meaning that other manufacturers will be able to integrate this sensor in their own luminaires. Patrik Deuss anticipates that a great deal will happen in the energy sector over the next few years. “It is always easier and more cost-efficient to save power than it is to produce it sustainably,” emphasises the startup founder. At 30 years of age, Patrik Deuss is CEO of a fast-growing SME. Is the great responsibility he bears a burden? “I find my work to be very meaningful,” he answers. Deuss explains that he is part of a very good team who support each another. The founder adds that they are constantly on the lookout for new employees and attach great importance to finding the right people. What’s more, he believes that his experience as an elite sportsman prepared him well for this task. “In both sport and business, you have to break goals down into milestones. You need discipline, training and staying power,” says Deuss. “I think that as a top athlete you have a different perception of pain.” Seraina Sattler

Guido Keel is used to people seeking his expertise. As a professor and institute director, he is often the expert in the room. Things were very different in 2025 when he worked in Vienna as an advisor to the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. There, the 52-year-old found himself to be an inexperienced newcomer. In his everyday work at the ZHAW Institute of Applied Media Studies , Guido Keel focuses on media literacy, communication professions and management tasks. In Vienna, he familiarised himself with the structures of the OSCE, public international law and the conventions of diplomacy. He also immersed himself in the media policy landscape of the three countries for which he was primarily responsible: Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. «I sometimes found it frustrating that we could ‘only’ communicate.» Guido Keel, Head of the ZHAW Institute of Applied Media Studies Guido Keel’s task was to monitor media freedom in these countries. “Every morning, I would go online to read through local and international media,” he recalls. He used artificial intelligence to translate content from the respective national languages, although some publications in these countries were also available in English. He also developed a network of media professionals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). “As a representative of the OSCE, it was relatively easy to find contacts,” explains Keel. “When I said I was from the OSCE and was dealing with media freedom, many people were willing to speak.” Media freedom is under pressure in all three South Caucasus countries. Once, Keel came across reports of a journalist in Azerbaijan who was arrested for reporting critically on the government. On another occasion, he learned of planned legislation in Georgia that would severely restrict funding for journalism. He was also informed of a case in which a foreign journalist was refused entry at the border. When Keel learned of problematic developments, he prepared recommendations for action for the Representative on Freedom of the Media. This institution within the OSCE, which was established in 1998, has been led by the Norwegian Jan Braathu since November 2024. While Braathu is the face of the organisation, he is supported by a team comprising 20 employees. Founded in 1975, the OSCE’s mandate is to prevent military conflicts in Europe through diplomatic means and to strengthen democratic institutions. The organisation promotes cooperation between states and civil society structures. It also advocates compliance with human rights commitments and media independence. “Without media freedom, there is no democracy,” stresses Guido Keel. The Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media also functions as an early warning mechanism by monitoring threats to media freedom and identifying violations of agreed minimum standards in OSCE states. One of these standards demands that the safety of journalists be ensured in performing their work and that they are not sanctioned for practicing their profession. The organisation’s instruments comprise quiet and public diplomacy. It does not possess any sanctioning powers. “I sometimes found it frustrating that we could ‘only’ communicate – write letters, convene meetings, pay visits,” says Keel. At the same time, he emphasises that the OSCE provides the only forum in which, for example, Russia and Ukraine still regularly meet at the same table. The Permanent Council, which is made up of ambassadors from all OSCE states, meets on a weekly basis. «Media literacy among the population must be strengthened in order to protect it against disinformation.» Guido Keel, Head of the ZHAW Institute of Applied Media Studies When Guido Keel identified breaches, he would sometimes recommend to his superior that they wait and observe the situation. At other times, he would suggest speaking with a representative of the respective government. Alternatively, he might also propose publishing a post on social media. “I was surprised by how much a tweet can achieve,” says Keel. “I heard of cases in which journalists in prison were no longer mistreated after their names had been made public in tweets by the OSCE Representative.” No state likes to be publicly criticised, he explains. Sometimes, the Special Representative is also asked for assistance by a particular country. “The Serbian government approached us when it came to the renewal of the authority for broadcasting regulation,” says Keel. “The Representative on Media Freedom was asked to provide support in this process as a neutral institution.” It is not only in countries east of Vienna that media freedom finds itself under pressure. According to Guido Keel, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) can be observed in almost all OSCE countries. This means that legal instruments are used strategically to intimidate journalists or employees of non-profit organisations and to deter them from speaking out against misconduct. Keel worked with a lawyer to define standards for governments in OSCE countries aimed at preventing such lawsuits. Alongside intimidation and violence, there is another means of exerting pressure on journalists: attacking the financial basis of independent media. “In Georgia, for example, the government has practically forbidden foreign stakeholders from supporting domestic media,” says Keel, depriving them of their basis of existence. Here too, Keel was involved in a project tasked with defining minimum standards for the regulation of foreign investment in media. During his year with the OSCE, Guido Keel not only worked from his desk, but he also travelled extensively. He was in the Caucasus several times in order to meet journalists as well as representatives of governments and civil society on the ground. He also represented the Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media at conferences from Brussels to Uzbekistan. Keel could have extended his mandate as an advisor. However, he had agreed on a one-year leave of absence with the ZHAW and also felt the need to live closer again to his partner and his frail father. And what did he get out of the year in Vienna? “Above all, I broadened my horizons,” says Keel, who also points out the opportunity he had to get to know a different working environment and a new city. “In my everyday work at the ZHAW, my experience helps me to better situate the Swiss media landscape in an international context.” «I was surprised by how much a tweet can achieve» Guido Keel, Head of the ZHAW Institute of Applied Media Studies In Switzerland, Guido Keel sees targeted disinformation as a threat. He believes that it is high time to strengthen media literacy among the population in order to protect it against this threat. “Compared with Scandinavian and Baltic states, for example, we are still somewhat naïve in this respect.” Keel is convinced that political influence from Russia will increase. He also identifies a “blemish” in Switzerland’s record on media freedom, namely that it is a criminal offence in this country to publish information gleaned from confidential bank documents. This is a situation that meets with little understanding internationally. Overall, however, media freedom in Switzerland is well safeguarded, emphasises Keel. Nevertheless, he concedes that “media outlets that are 100% independent do not exist anywhere.” Seraina Sattler

The first country Stefan Flückiger was sent to as a diplomat was Haiti. It was in 1990 that the first democratically elected president came to power in this Caribbean country. Starting in 1994, Flückiger was given responsibility for rebuilding the impoverished state on behalf of the World Bank. “After three years, the mission came to an end without us achieving our objectives despite the presence of numerous experts and generous financial support from many countries and organisations,” he explains. “During that time, I learnt a great deal about development cooperation.” Flückiger shares his view that it is not enough to simply establish a democratic system in a country that has no experience with democracy. “As long as the state has no reliable institutions of its own in place, it won't work out in the long run.” Support from the outside is always perceived as a foreign voice – necessary, but also degrading. Flückiger says that it takes several generations to lead a country from dictatorship to democracy, as can still be seen today in the former East Germany. Stefan Flückiger worked as a diplomat on behalf of Switzerland for 30 years. He originally did English Studies in Zurich and had intended to become an English teacher. “However, I quickly realised that working in a school environment wouldn't be enough to let me really spread my wings,” he recalls. “I have always had a great interest in current affairs, international politics and economic contexts.” After a short stay at the Ivy League university of Yale in the US, he came to realise that he was more interested in practical work than embarking on an academic career. He therefore took the diplomatic entrance examination at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in 1989. He reminisces that it was a different time: “At the end of the 1980s, we didn’t have the Internet or mobile phones. Travel diplomacy was expensive and rare,” says Flückiger. Back then, it was part of a diplomat’s job to tell the authorities back in Bern what was happening in their assigned country. “I found this aspect exciting, as I am fascinated by other cultures and ways of thinking. In the past, he adds, diplomats were allowed to act more independently than is the case today. It was during his first assignment in Zimbabwe, where he spent time as part of his training, that Flückiger realised he had chosen the right path. During the course of his career, Stefan Flückiger increasingly established himself as an expert in economic and financial policy. “I did take courses in economics at Yale, but I learnt most of what I know on the job,” explains the 66-year-old. “I had great mentors who taught me everything.” After returning from Haiti, Flückiger was posted to Bonn in 1997. As Head of the Economic Department of the Swiss Embassy, he witnessed the embassy's move back to Berlin, Germany’s historical capital. His time in office also coincided with the controversial monetary union of the Ostmark with the D-Mark and later the introduction of the euro in Germany – a time of change that he looks back on as a very exciting chapter. Chance has sometimes also helped in determining Flückiger’s next career step. During the crisis-ridden 1990s, Swiss entrepreneurs came up with the idea of creating a think tank based on the US example in order to develop proposals on how the country could be reformed. Flückiger learnt about this and was fascinated. Between 2002 and 2005, he would end up working as one of the leading figures in setting up the Avenir Suisse think tank in Zurich. “It takes several generations to lead a country from dictatorship to democracy.” Stefan Flückiger, former diplomat Flückiger’s next stop was Paris. In 2006, he became Deputy Ambassador of Switzerland to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Four years later, he would take over the top job. Among other things, he was in charge of a dossier that was not only extremely important for Switzerland, but also highly sensitive: banking secrecy. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Switzerland was no longer able to avert the abolition of this longstanding system. Stefan Flückiger returned to Bern in 2014 and was tasked with campaigning for Switzerland to be granted observer status in the Arctic Council, which brings together the eight states that have territories within the Arctic. Switzerland has been conducting research in the Arctic for more than a century and faces similar challenges in its Alpine regions to those faced by the Nordic countries. What is more, global warming is opening up new trade routes north of the Arctic Circle, making the area strategically important. “At last I got the opportunity to travel,” the former diplomat recalls. “The meetings took place in Iceland, Sweden, Norway and Russia.” Switzerland would finally be admitted to the Arctic Council as an observer. “That was the first time that I really became aware of the impact of climate change,” says Flückiger. In 2018, he switched to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), where he led negotiations for trade agreements with the EU and the UK over a period of two years. Flückiger had actually wanted to bring the curtain down on his career as an ambassador somewhere far away from Switzerland. Instead, the Federal Council appointed him Deputy State Secretary for International Financial Matters in 2020. Up to 2023, he represented Switzerland at the meetings of the world's most important industrialised countries and emerging markets, namely the G20. While Switzerland is not a member, it takes part in what's called the Finance Track, in which financial and currency-related issues are discussed. While his long-held dream of travelling had become true, he also found it to be a frustrating and strenuous time: “I found myself rushing from conference to conference and used to spend two or three days in places like Washington, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia or India.” Although he admits that his environmental footprint must have been huge during this three-year period, he considered it a privilege to be able to follow the discussions taking place at the highest international level. The former diplomat has now been retired for a year. However, Stefan Flückiger remains active and wants to share his experiences. This desire has seen him speak as a guest lecturer at the ZHAW since spring 2024, where he holds two block seminars each semester at the School of Management and Law: “Focus on Current Affairs” and “International Trade and Policy.” Both courses turn their attention to the international financial system and its history, in which field Flückiger can draw on his rich experience in the area of current global politics. “I realise that many people lack an historical awareness of how economic growth and prosperity came about and what consequences this has for developing countries and the environment,” says the lecturer. This is something he would like to change. Stefan Flückiger emphasises that chatting with students while teaching is something he enjoys. The seminars also give him the opportunity to process his personal experiences at a theoretical level. The former diplomat also serves as Honorary President of the Green Fintech Network, which promotes green digital financial companies. And when he’s not travelling, you’ll find the literature and linguistics graduate at home at Wiesendangen reading a book. “I finally have time for it,” says Stefan Flückiger with a smile on his face. “My passion for literature still burns bright!” (Photos: Conradin Frei) Seraina Sattler