Building Trust in Science Communication
Dr. Shahin Ghaziani on entrepreneurship, migration, and creating a space for reliable scientific knowledge
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For Shahin Ghaziani, moving from Iran to Germany at 24 was a profound, life-changing decision. It meant leaving behind his home, his family, and much of what was familiar in order to pursue education, opportunity, and a different future. After more than 13 years at the University of Hohenheim, he has now left academia to become a full-time founder of LEON, bringing that same resilience to entrepreneurship. He reflects on family, responsibility, and the challenge of building a trustworthy space for scientific knowledge in an online world shaped by misinformation and AI-generated content. |
Shahin, you grew up in Iran and moved to Germany at 24. How did this shape the way you see risk and opportunity?I left my hometown, my home country, and my family to pursue education and my dreams, which was already a very significant step out of my comfort zone. During my Bachelor’s studies, I had already moved to another city and left my family at the age of 18, so I had some early experience in independence. But leaving my home country was a much bigger step. It fundamentally shaped how I see risk and opportunity. I learned that stepping out of your comfort zone is painful and anxiety-inducing, but it can also have very positive effects on your life. You’ve said that leaving Iran was more about survival than adventure. How does that experience influence how you approach challenges today?For me, immigration was clearly more about survival than adventure, and I now understand why many psychologists describe migration as a form of trauma. It was a very difficult step, because I left my family behind and knowingly gave up certain things that my sense of security and support depended on in order to gain others. It was a conscious trade-off for my goals and dreams. This experience taught me two things. On the one hand, stepping out of your comfort zone again can feel harder, because you already know the pain. On the other hand, I also know from experience that it often leads to growth. Today, I try to consciously focus on that growth and remind myself that exposing myself to new environments and challenges increases my chances of finding meaningful opportunities in life. Looking back at the past decade in academia, what led you towards science communication and digital innovation?I have always studied food and agriculture from different perspectives, and a central question in this field is how scientific knowledge reaches the public. If knowledge about sustainable food systems, health aspects of diet, or economic implications does not reach society, a large part of our research remains ineffective and has little real-world impact. For me, this realization was a turning point. While working at the University of Hohenheim, I was involved not only in research but also in web development, public relations, and social media management. These activities made me think continuously about better ways to transfer knowledge. Since around 2017, I have been thinking about building some kind of platform or online journal that allows researchers to communicate more freely and effectively, making their work accessible to a wider audience. |
Leaving academia after more than a decade is a major step. How did you make that decision?
It was one of the biggest steps out of my comfort zone so far. For a long time, I felt torn between continuing an academic career and pursuing entrepreneurship. Both paths are demanding in their own way, and trying to combine a full-time postdoctoral position with building a startup stretched me very thin. At some point, I realized that I had to make a clear decision. I consciously chose not to try prolonging my contract or apply for new academic positions and instead dedicate myself fully to LEON, starting in March 2026. It was a very difficult and honestly quite scary decision.
Similar to my previous experiences outside my comfort zone, it comes with a lot of uncertainty and fear. At the same time, it is also very exciting. Right now, I am still in a non-rewarding phase that requires a lot of discipline and hard work without seeing immediate, tangible results. But I trust the process of consistent effort and marginal improvements, and I believe that over time, these will lead to something meaningful.
Why LEON, Why Now?
For readers who don’t know LEON yet: what problem are you trying to solve, and why does it matter right now?
Today, we face two major problems online. One is misinformation and disinformation. The other is what people now call AI slop: low-quality, repetitive content generated by AI. Together, these make it increasingly difficult to distinguish what is real from what is fake, especially when it comes to scientific information and content. Many scientists and science communicators are already making valuable efforts to share knowledge online, yet their contributions are often not clearly distinguished from those of non-experts. While there are clear guidelines for publishing and communicating scientific findings within academia, there is no standardized way of transferring this knowledge to the public. As a result, the public is exposed to content that may appear scientific but lacks proper verification, without having the tools or resources to assess its reliability. The rise of GenAI is further exacerbating this problem.
This is particularly dangerous in areas like medicine, health, food, and nutrition, where AI-generated content can sound very convincing without being verifiable. There is almost no accountability, transparency, or verification process on current platforms. LEON addresses this by allowing only verified experts to create content. Non-experts are welcome to participate, ask questions, and engage in discussions, but content creation follows strict guidelines aligned with scientific principles and communication. LEON aims to create a space people can trust, where content is generated and verified by humans, while AI is used responsibly as a tool, not as a source of truth.
Building LEON
When did you realise that LEON had to become your full-time focus?
I had been evolving the idea of LEON in my mind for many years without taking concrete steps. At the beginning of 2025, I decided to seriously pursue it. I shared the idea with my brother-in-law, who is a seasoned computer scientist with a lot of tech business experience. When he thought the concept was promising, it was a kind of validation for me that this wasn’t just a naive dream but something that could become real. That encouragement pushed me to start learning how to build a social network and to develop a prototype.
As I got more involved, I started building valuable connections through workshops and programs such as RISE and YES. Being selected as a finalist at Falling Walls Lab Baden-Württemberg was a major turning point; later being accepted for the Top-Talents-Track programme of the Falling Walls Foundation marked another important milestone. Most importantly, my wife and I had a serious conversation about the trade-offs. With her full support, I chose to focus 100% on LEON. All of these steps together made it clear that LEON was now my full-time career.
You searched intensively for partners but ended up starting largely on your own. What convinced you to move forward despite the uncertainty?
I had been reaching out to various people, hoping to find a partner because I felt my own IT knowledge wasn’t fully sufficient at that stage. However, no one was ready to come on board. After a while, I decided I was done waiting for others. I chose to move forward on my own, even though I wasn’t entirely sure how. I started learning more, watching YouTube videos, building on my existing web development skills, and gradually improving from there. It was a process of small, incremental learning steps, making mistakes, messing things up, and then improving again.
Over time, I realised that by having something tangible in hand, it might be easier to attract partners or funding. Now it’s still not perfect, it’s an MVP, but it’s something real that I can show. That’s what convinced me to just go ahead despite the uncertainty.
What kind of feedback gave you confidence that LEON was worth pursuing?
The feedback from venture capital representatives was particularly important to me. They asked very tough and critical questions, but in the end, many of them said that although the idea was difficult, it was worth pursuing. That was strong validation. From younger academics, I received a lot of enthusiasm and excitement. Many of them felt that LEON was exactly what was needed right now and even expressed interest in becoming members.
I also pitched to science communicators from journalistic and academic backgrounds and demonstrated the prototype. When I asked them to sign letters of intent, all of them except one person signed the LOI without hesitation. This combination of critical VC feedback, enthusiastic young academics, and concrete letters of intent was the most meaningful validation for me.
Visibility & the Power of Networks
After participating in Falling Walls Lab Baden-Württemberg, what did that experience teach you about visibility and outreach?
What impressed me most was the generosity and kindness of the people involved. Many jury members gave thoughtful feedback and proactively connected me to others, sometimes even months later. This kind of support is rare in many industries. I believe entrepreneurship, especially in science, attracts people who are genuinely generous and supportive, and that mindset motivates me a lot.
What did the Top-Talents-Track give you at this stage of your journey?
The Top-Talents-Track was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The level of support, education, and inspiration was something I could not miss. I am learning entrepreneurship and business continuously, and this programme was exactly what I needed.
The programme gave me what I was missing: a very supportive network and intensive education to become a CEO. It accelerated my learning, changed my mindset, and strengthened my skillset in a very short time. I am confident I will see it as a major turning point in retrospect.
Family, Values & Entrepreneurship
How do you navigate the tension between entrepreneurship and family life?
This is something I am still learning. Many successful entrepreneurs can give great advice on business-related topics, but very few give convincing answers about work-life balance. I am very conscious that family comes before business for me. My values are crystal clear.
I once heard a CEO say that he did not want ten successful startups and several failed marriages, and that stayed with me. I learned that entrepreneurship is not about work-life balance but work-life harmony. There are phases where work requires intense focus and phases where flexibility is possible. What matters to me is consciously caring for my relationship, setting boundaries, and dedicating real quality time to my wife and myself.
What does a healthy work–life harmony look like for you in practice?
For me, a healthy harmony means trying to create clear boundaries between work and the rest of life. In entrepreneurship, this is extremely difficult, because work is always there, mentally and practically. But it is something I am constantly working on and very conscious about. A big part of that harmony is having certain times that are clearly dedicated to non-work activities — quality time with my wife, time for sport, and also time for things that give me joy and distance from work, like reading, playing music, nature, or simply doing something fun without any productivity pressure.
I know this is not something you solve once and then it works forever. It is an ongoing process, and I am still learning. But I truly hope that in the future I can manage my non-work time better, because for me, long-term entrepreneurship only makes sense if it does not come at the cost of personal relationships and well-being.
Looking Ahead
What are your priorities for the next phase of LEON?
In the coming months, my main focus is on building a strong team and raising funds. LEON is not generating any revenue yet, so at the same time I also need to secure my livelihood through other sources. That is part of the reality at this stage, and I try to approach it in a pragmatic way.
A key priority is finding a CTO and additional IT experts who can join the development team and help move the platform forward. At the same time, I will not keep development on hold while looking for team members, I continue building the platform myself. This requires me to learn many complex things in a short time, but I enjoy this process and have no fear of trying new things. In parallel, I am actively building valuable academic and journalistic connections, because these networks are essential for LEON to grow in a meaningful and credible way. What really matters for the next phase is securing pre-seed funding.
When you imagine the next five to ten years, what does success look like?
For me, success would mean that LEON has become a commonly known platform that people naturally refer to when they have scientific questions, especially as members of the general public. I want to build a place of trust where people feel safer on the internet and can learn something meaningful. That would mean I was able to build and scale the company in a sustainable way, create jobs, and empower many scientists by giving them a platform where they feel they belong and their voices are heard, while they can earn additional reputation and income for their expertise and time.
Beyond all of this, success for me also means reaching my personal goals, a sense of happiness and inner peace while trying to do something meaningful in this world.
And finally: what advice would you give future Fellows or founders who are just starting out?
Just start doing it. Do something, even if it is small. It may seem insignificant to you now, but these small steps can make a big difference over time. I always say that you can walk through a dark path with a flashlight that only illuminates two meters in front of you. You do not need to see the entire way. You just need to take those two meters, and then the next two will appear. If you stand still, you will not get anywhere.
So focus on the process not the goal and do not rely on motivation. Most importantly, do it for yourself first and trust your inner drive. External feedback can help you refine your idea, but it is inner drive that carries you forward.
What happens next?
Check out our event calendar for upcoming workshops. Stay tuned for more updates, opportunities, and success stories!
Connect with Shahin via LinkedIn!
Interviewer & Editor, Design: Bianca Cramer & Laura Walther
