Shader.CreateGPUProgram takes a long time on first startup (iOS)

Well, as pointed out in the second post: The shaders get compiled on the device, that’s taking a shitload of time. Additionally the shaders also need to be warmed up, this is also mostly only necessary for fresh installs.
So in the end, try reducing the amount of shaders (and shader variants) you are using. A unity team member commented on it in this thread: Profiling Shader.CreateGPUProgram