In this episode of One Vision, Theodora Lau sits down with Hay Yip, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief of Staff at FundPark in Hong Kong, for a conversation that spans heritage, working capital, and what it really takes for SMEs to scale in an uncertain world.
Hay shares his journey from a commercial banking career at HSBC — spanning both London and Hong Kong — to the electric pace of a fintech startup, and why he now goes to bed "with one eye open." Born in Hong Kong and grew up in the UK, his story comes full circle as he returns home to help the small businesses he's always been drawn to.
At the heart of the conversation is the often-overlooked engine of commerce: working capital. Hay makes the case that cash flow is the "bloodline" of any growing business, and explains how FundPark uses data and analytics to serve e-commerce merchants who are not just underserved by traditional banks, but in many cases entirely unserved. Theo and Hay explore the founders' origin story, why entrepreneurs deserve more credit for their courage, and how global supply chain fragility shows up in the everyday lives of merchants and the customers who depend on them.
Tune in for a candid look at the unglamorous but essential side of fintech, and FundPark's vision of "scale up as a service" — helping ordinary people behind real businesses thrive.
📍Hot take: "The only certainty is uncertainty."
Keywords: Fintech, Financial Services, Startup, VC, Hong Kong, SME
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:06 The Backstory
05:15 From HSBC to Startup
11:02 Expectations versus Reality
18:41 Working Capital Matters
36:24 Hong Kong’s Strategic Role
40:11 Closing and Takeaways
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More about our guest
🌐Hay Yip on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayyip/
More about our host and One Vision Podcast
🌐Theodora Lau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theodoralau/
🌐Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence (book): https://www.bankingonaibook.com/
🌐Unconventional Ventures (company): https://www.unconventionalventures.com/
🌐Listen to all One Vision Podcast episodes by visiting: https://shows.acast.com/one-vision
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