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 Setia 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.
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.
The idea for Synergya grew out of a challenge she repeatedly encountered while building partnerships in global health innovation: although many ventures had strong ideas, technologies and funding, identifying the right strategic partner and resources for sustainable scale remained slow and difficult.
From classroom conversation to co-founding a company
Setian shared the Synergya concept with Pearce Mutendera during a conversation en route to Kellogg College, leading to the company’s creation. Mutendera co-founded the platform and developed its technical infrastructure.
The founding team also includes Dr Theresa Reiker as Chief Operating Officer and Dr Aleksandar Petrovic as Chief Business Officer.
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Since October 2025, Synergya has received over 300 applications, onboarded around 78 startups and scaleups, recruited nearly 30 pro bono advisors, and built a network of 10+ institutional partners. The platform launched its first release on 1 April and established an ‘Observer Circle’ of global health, sustainability, and investment leaders, while continuing to accept applications from founders worldwide.
International recognition and future ambitions
In a further milestone, Synergya has been selected for the WHO/Europe Public Health Innovation Platform (Policy, Governance and Financing working group) and nominated by the International Telecommunications Union for a WSIS regional cooperation award.
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The University of Oxford MSc in Global Healthcare Leadership programme brings together professionals across healthcare, policy, business and technology, creating the environment where Lucy Setian and Pearce Mutendera transformed a shared idea into a global venture.
