Dr. Jochen Hurlebaus, PhD, MBA
"I help healthcare's most promising ideas find their way into the clinic — and their way to the people willing to fund them."
Jochen spent 23 years at Roche Diagnostics, most recently as Head of Digital Health Innovation and previously as Head of Innovation & IP Management — global roles in which he built and led international teams. There he founded Startup Creasphere, Roche's global startup engagement program, which accelerated nearly 100 companies worldwide — roughly a quarter of which advanced into commercial relationships with the corporate.
His grounding in AI runs deeper than strategy: a PhD in Theoretical Biology & Bioinformatics gave him an early computational foundation, which he has since applied to two decades of AI-driven innovation across diagnostics, R&D and digital health.
That depth matters most when others are just repeating buzzwords: Jochen helps investors and corporates look past the AI hype and assess what's actually underneath — model robustness, dependency on third-party APIs, hallucination risk, regulatory compliance and data sovereignty — before capital or partnerships are committed.
He also holds an MSc in Mathematical Ecology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a dual Executive MBA from the University of Mannheim and ESSEC Paris.
Today, through Aluna Healthcare Consulting, Jochen advises corporates, scale-ups and investors on turning AI and digital health into measurable value — from diagnostics to clinical practice across the pharma value chain.
Founder & President, Aluna Healthcare Consulting
Independent strategic advisory for corporates, scale-ups and investors across diagnostics, digital health and AI — Jochen's main focus today.
Venture Partner
Supporting strategic vision, partnership models and end-to-end venture development at the HealthSeed Venture Studio.
healthseed.vc ↗Expert Advisor
C-level advisory and mentorship for companies aiming to thrive in the complex healthcare landscape with AI.
skymedai.com ↗Where corporates, startups and investors meet.
Aluna equips healthcare innovators with the strategic expertise to navigate complex ecosystems, accelerate development and maximize market impact — driving scalable healthcare innovation into clinical use.
Diagnostics & MedTech
In-vitro diagnostics, digital diagnostics and algorithms, alongside sensors, wearables and connected devices — the technologies that capture and interpret patient data.
Prevention, Care & Longevity
Care-pathway integration and use-case definition that bring innovation into everyday practice — from preventive and predictive health to chronic care and healthy lifespan.
Validation & Health Economics
Real-world evidence, clinical validation and health-economic evidence that make the business case for adoption.
AI & Digital Health
The algorithms, models and digital infrastructure underpinning every domain above — from clinical decision support and patient-facing digital health tools, to diagnostics interpretation, R&D, operations and commercial applications — with particular depth in evaluating model robustness, regulatory compliance and data strategy.
