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Entrepreneurs pledge wealth to tackle inequality in city

Janine Machin
BBC News, Cambridgeshire
BBC Entrepreneur, Lucy Jung, is smiling at the camera. She has long hair draped over her shoulders and is wearing a navy blue v-neck jumper over a white shirt. She is in a room with floor to ceiling windows and lots of green foliage.BBC
Lucy Jung says contributing to The Cambridge Pledge is "a no-brainer"

With its university spires and world-leading science sector, many believe life in Cambridge is one of privilege and wealth, but it is one of the most unequal cities in the UK.

Innovate Cambridge, an initiative launched in 2022, has founded The Cambridge Pledge, a project that aims to improve the lives of people in the city who are homeless, living in poverty or in the care system.

The scheme encourages entrepreneurs to offer a share of their current or future wealth to fund social projects in the area.

Sara Allen, the executive director of The Cambridge Pledge, says: "We want to fund children's homes, for care leavers, projects to help the homeless and education projects in Cambridge and the wider county."

PA Media Two people who appear to be homeless sleeping on a stone ledge in a park. One is wearing a winter coat and hugging a duvet. The second is asleep with a pink hat on. Their faces are hidden.PA Media
The Cambridge Pledge aims to improve lives for those who are homeless, in care or in poverty

Lucy Jung is a design engineer who has pledged a percentage of her future wealth via The Cambridge Pledge.

She says: "I see the inequality in Cambridge every day. Our office is in the middle of the city and as we leave at night, there are homeless people who are really struggling - that is not something we should by."

For the past ten years the mother-of-two has been living with a brain tumour.

She says: "Ten years ago I was at university, and very excited about the innovations that we were working on. I started to get strange symptoms which affected my vision and balance.

"Very quickly I got diagnosed with a brain tumour. They were able to take away a portion of the tumour but not all, and so I still rely on regular check-ups."

In 2019 she co-founded Charco Neurotech Ltd, which developed a device to reduce rigidity in people with Parkinson's Disease.

She adds: "[My brain tumour] keeps me grounded and it means I can understand health issues from a tech point of view but also as a patient."

Ms Jung has since founded Lyeons Neurotech, which is developing solutions for people with anxiety and sleep disorders.

"[My tumour] has given me the drive to help as many people as possible and if I can do more through the Pledge, that's a real privilege. It was a no-brainer for me to contribute.

"When I started doing school-runs I could see life outside of the university and institutions.

"Being part of the Pledge makes me want to work harder so I can help."

Marcel Gehrung smiles at the camera. He has a goatee beard and moustache and is wearing a zip neck jumper over a pale blue shirt. He is standing in an office which has lots of plants.
Marcel Gehrung is ing the pay-it-forward scheme to give young people opportunities

Marcel Gehrung is chief executive and the co-founder of Cyted Health in Cambridge, which developed the capsule sponge to help diagnose oesophageal cancer.

"When I first heard about the Pledge my first thought was 'why hasn't this been done before":[]}