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Mastercard Lighthouse partnership announcement – legal partner

schjoedt presenter audience partnership slide

Mastercard Lighthouse is thrilled to announce the Scandinavian law firm Schjødt as a new legal partner for the Mastercard Lighthouse Program.

In order to enable tailored legal advice for the selected companies of the FINITIV class, both for the kick-off workshops and throughout the program, the partnership with Schjødt is a perfect fit as it is a Scandinavian integrated full-service Tier 1 law firm, with also a strong UK presence.

Schjødt stands out for its extensive expertise and significant presence in the region, consisting of a team of well over 300 legal professionals stationed across Copenhagen, Stockholm, all major Norwegian cities and London.

This collaboration is set to enhance the Mastercard Lighthouse Program, drawing on Schjødt’s broad network and extensive legal acumen in all relevant sectors of the selected companies, including, but not limited to: Fintech, Digital Innovation and technology, IP/IT, venture capital and corporate commercial.

” – As we have a well-established footprint in the fintech, paytech and VC space we decided a partnership with the Mastercard Lighthouse program would be a mutual fit. Especially as the Scandinavian markets of the sector are integrated in a manner well adapted for our legal capabilities in all Scandinavian countries. This offers a support for local law expertise and cross-border scaling when such is of interest ” – says Caroline Bryant Bonde, Head of Financial Services and partner in the Copenhagen Office, who has worked alongside with partners Morten Richardsen and Sebastian Sundberg from the Oslo and Stockholm Office, as well as associate Henrik Elvingsson, who was the initiative taker for the partnership.

” – We are very impressed by how Schjødt has embraced its partnership with the Mastercard Lighthouse program and their ability to customize the legal advice based on the nationality and sector of the selected companies in the spring 2024 class, which is really strengthening the program and adding value for the participating companies .” – says Mats Taraldsson, Head of Fintech and Impact-tech Engagement at Mastercard Nordics and Baltics and Founder of the Lighthouse program.

conference room audience watching presenter

CorPower Ocean – the industry leader in wave energy technology – is enabling the transition to renewable energy by harnessing the power of ocean waves. During the MASSIV program, CorPower Ocean focused on advancing its commercial strategy and strengthening partnerships across the Nordic ecosystem. The company engaged with more than 14 organizations, including financial institutions and partners such as Swedbank, Danske Bank, and UNDP, and held over 20 strategic meetings alongside multiple in-depth Advisory Board dialogues. These engagements supported discussions around financing structures, market entry, and scaling opportunities for its clean energy solution.

With guidance from UNDP, CorPower Ocean refined its impact value chain and strengthened how it measures and communicates its environmental impact. The company also benefited from several investor introductions, further developing its positioning towards large-scale deployment. Thanks to its strong technological foundation and clear contribution to the energy transition, CorPower Ocean was awarded the Impact Potential Award for its ability to deliver meaningful environmental impact at scale.

Manje Health is building compliant cross-border healthcare payment infrastructure, enabling families to pay hospitals, pharmacies and insurers seamlessly across markets. In the MASSIV program, the company focused on strengthening partnerships with financial institutions and refining its payment rails strategy to support global healthcare access. Manje Health engaged in 16 dialogues with Advisors from organizations such as Mastercard, Swedbank, Danske Bank, Synch, VNTRS, and UNDP, alongside more than 10 expert and mentor sessions. These interactions helped the company advance its partnership readiness and explore integrations within the financial ecosystem.

A key milestone during the program was the introduction to Mastercard Move, opening up potential collaboration opportunities around global payment infrastructure. With support from UNDP, Manje Health also refined its impact thesis and strategy, strengthening its positioning as an impact-driven fintech player. By consistently translating feedback into tangible progress and demonstrating strong execution capabilities, Manje Health was named the overall winner of the Mastercard Lighthouse MASSIV program.

Octany is building a unified fundraising platform for Nordic nonprofits, enabling organizations to manage donations, engage supporters, and improve fundraising efficiency through a single solution. During the MASSIV program, Octany explored collaborations with partners such as Nets/Nexi Group and was introduced to alumni Way to Bill, while also validating its solution with larger nonprofit organizations including the Swedish Red Cross, Save the Children Sweden, and the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund.

At the same time, Octany worked to strengthen the broader nonprofit ecosystem by launching “Octany Commons,” a council bringing together key sector players, and by validating and initiating the development of a free shared data platform to enable sector-wide analysis and benchmarking. The company also received legal and fundraising support, alongside investor meetings that helped refine its growth strategy. With guidance from UNDP, Octany further developed its impact thesis and commitments, strengthening its positioning as a mission-driven platform. Reflecting strong engagement from its ecosystem, Octany was awarded the People’s Choice Award, receiving the highest number of votes from its customers, network, and the audience at the Mastercard Lighthouse Showcase. 

Plussa is building an AI-powered platform to support parental wellbeing, helping working parents access proactive, personalized mental health support to better manage the challenges of work and family life. The company achieved more than 10 strategic introductions across banks and ecosystem partners, including organizations such as SEB and Danske Bank, and progressed several commercial discussions covering both employer-focused offerings and potential customer partnerships.

On the investment side, Plussa secured two angel investors in late-stage negotiations and continued to refine its fundraising approach and market positioning. In collaboration with legal partner Synch, the company strengthened its compliance and due diligence framework, enabling faster sales cycles, particularly within the public sector. As a result, Plussa won 5 contracts within the Swedish public sector (5 municipalities) in just a month. At the same time, Plussa sharpened its value proposition across three core customer segments, improving its go-to-market strategy and positioning. As a result of its strong engagement and progress throughout the program, Plussa was selected as a finalist of the Mastercard Lighthouse MASSIV program. 

Soldera is building a digital infrastructure layer to unify renewable energy certificate markets, enabling companies to procure, track, and verify clean energy across fragmented systems. During the MASSIV program, the company focused on strengthening relationships with financial institutions and sustainability-focused partners to support future growth and adoption. Soldera engaged with key ecosystem players, including Swedbank, Nets/Nexi, Danske Bank, Mastercard, PwC, EY, and OpenFrame, exploring potential collaboration opportunities and use cases across both commercial and strategic areas.

Throughout the program, Soldera advanced discussions related to sustainability procurement and financing, while also validating potential support from Mastercard for procurement-related connections and future solution development. These engagements helped further refine the company’s positioning within the renewable energy ecosystem and explore pathways for scaling its platform. Building on this progress and its strong market potential, Soldera was selected as a finalist of the Mastercard Lighthouse MASSIV program. 

SpennX is building a multicurrency financial platform powered by stablecoins, enabling individuals and institutions to move money seamlessly across borders while increasing transparency and accessibility. During the MASSIV program, the company focused on advancing its product infrastructure and deepening its integration within the global payments ecosystem. This included identifying three concrete Mastercard integration pathways – Crypto Credential, Stablecoin Settlement, and Mastercard Move for cross-border payments – while also initiating partnership discussions with BluSalt, via Mastercard Nigeria, to explore a Mastercard-branded card product.

At the same time, SpennX strengthened its technical and regulatory foundation by partnering with Erlang Solutions, part of the Mastercard Service Provider Network, to build SpennX 2.0 and take ownership of its core payment infrastructure. The team further advanced its compliance capabilities through ongoing discussions with CryptoSwift, particularly around implementing the crypto travel rule. Alongside these developments, SpennX soft-launched its KinPay MVP, enabling structured and verifiable credit activity for underserved communities. With support from UNDP, the company also refined its impact value chain and impact thesis, aligning its solution with financial inclusion goals under SDG 10.c.

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