yamo CEO Tobias Gunzenhauser: ‘It is a real privilege to be able to choose whom you can work with’

05.10.2020 08:35, Isabelle Mitchell

Our series about Switzerland's most inspiring entrepreneurs and founders shines the spotlight on Tobias Gunzenhauser, the co-founder and CEO of yamo. He founded the startup in 2016 with the mission to transform the infant food industry with high-quality, tasty, and fresh food that helps parents and children develop an awareness and appreciation for healthy and sustainable nutrition.

Switzerland boasts countless world-class startups, and our new series puts the spotlight on some of the best and most inspiring entrepreneurs and founders to find out what motivates them, what they have learned, and what they do when they are not transforming the world with their innovations. To get this behind-the-scenes perspective, we ask each entrepreneur to complete a short profile and choose ten questions from a questionnaire about their personal and professional life. Next up is Tobias Gunzenhauser, co-founder and CEO of yamo, a 2018 TOP 100 startup that closed a EUR 10.1 million Series A financing round in July.


Tobias Gunzenhauser presenting yamo at TOP 100 Swis Startup Award 2018

Name: Tobias Gunzenhauser
Location: Zug
Born in: 1987 in Basel
Graduated from: Hochschule Luzern in 2016 with a Master of Advanced Studies in Digital Marketing and Communication Management 
Job title: Co-founder and CEO of yamo
Number of employees: 30
First touchpoint with Venturelab: The TOP 100 Startups in 2018

“At yamo, we produce and sell fresh, organic food for babies and children.”

What TV show(s) are you currently watching?
Even though I was never into Formula 1, I just recently finished the Netflix show Formula 1: Drive to Survive. It was a super interesting, intense, and well-made glimpse into this sport. Next on my list is When They See us.

What podcast are you currently listening to?
I frequently listen to How I built this from NPR, Kassenzone, and the podcast from Digital Kompakt.

What book are you currently reading?
I am reading Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead by Laszlo Bock, the former SVP of People Operations at Google.

What is your favorite book?
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight. It is a very inspirational story of a great entrepreneur who built one of the most category-defining brands in modern history. 

What is always in your fridge?
I love a small sip of orange juice every morning. Therefore: Good old OJ always has to be in the fridge.

What is your favorite productivity tool?
Asana. We would not be able to keep the high pace and, at the same time, stay in sync as a company without it.

What do you do while commuting?
I enjoy listening to podcasts while commuting.

What is always on your desk?
I always have a refillable bottle filled with water on my desk to drink from. Staying hydrated helps me a lot to keep a fresh mind.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a founder?
Working with driven, smart, and positive people. It is a real privilege to be able to choose whom you can work with.

What is your email management strategy?
Definitely inbox zero. I try to have my inbox cleaned at least every second day. Maybe I will manage eventually to have inbox zero at the end of each day, which would be great.

Last but not least, could you show us your workspace?