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Two students from the University of Oxford’s MSc in Global Healthcare Leadership programme, jointly delivered by the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences (NDPCHS) and Saïd Business School, have co-founded a new social enterprise called ‘Synergya’, designed to help health and sustainability ventures scale through structured collaboration.

Lucy Setian (L) and Pearce Mutendera (R)
Lucy Setian (left) and Pearce Mutendera (right)

Lucy Setian and Pearce Mutendera, both members of Kellogg College and Cohort 3 of the MSc in Global Healthcare Leadership (MGHL) programme, are co-founders of Synergya, a Switzerland-based platform that supports startups and scaleups across Europe, Africa and the Middle East through a ‘zero-fees, zero-equity' joint venture model. 

Launched in April 2026 after seven months of development, Synergya uses a proprietary AI engine to identify complementary ventures, help them form and execute joint ventures (JVs) – startup-with-startup partnerships that accelerate marketing, go-to-market strategy and investment readiness. The platform also provides access to pro bono senior advisors, curated scaling services and connections to corporate, philanthropic and investment networks. 

Building on experience in global health innovation  

Lucy Setian is a recipient of the Oxford Scholarship for Women in Leadership to support her studies on the MGHL programme. She developed the idea for Synergya following years of experience designing and scaling international health programmes and ventures across Europe, Africa and Latin America. Before founding Synergya, she led HealthTech Hub Africa, which was recognised in 2023 by the US Department of State and Concordia with the P3 Impact Award for the world’s best public-private partnership. 

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