“Figuring out what you want to do and what you are passionate about is important, but unfortunately, there is no shortcut”
Ms. Victor Yip
Class of 2011
Pecutus endeavors to attain financial inclusion for the underbanked group. We have established a partnership with Cathay Pacific to extend financial service access to foreign currencies and built a platform called Readytravel that allows travelers to exchange currencies with each other in a P2P fashion. In Pecutus, I focus mainly on strategy and development but also assist with many other tasks, such as coding, data science research, public relations, marketing and design, and partnerships.
How is your journey to Entrepreneurship?
Before becoming an entrepreneur, I went to GBUS and studied Economics as my second major, after which I did a CFA. I then realized I always wanted to build a startup, so I decided to study Computer Science at UCL to learn how to write codes and realize my startup idea.
How does your experience in Bank of America and work as a data scientist help your journey as an Entrepreneur?
I got accustomed to dealing with financial products. However, I benefited the most from the talented people there who helped me set a bar in terms of identifying talents and recruiting them into my team. Diversity in my previous workplace also taught me how to work in an environment with people with different cultures and values. Therefore, we have a very international team now.
What would be the essential traits required to excel as an Entrepreneur?
Resilience in mentality is key. You have to keep going as an entrepreneur. The process of entrepreneurship is equivalent to a person pushing a rock up the hill. During the process, it might be hard to imagine what you can get at the top of the hill; but once you arrive at the top, you can find the jackpot. However, you just have to keep pushing the rock until you rise to the top.
What should GBUS juniors do to equip themselves before joining the Entrepreneurship field?
Self-discovery would be crucial. Instead of just looking around, experiencing and getting involved are more important. People always have a rosy fantasy about having a startup, yet reality always deviates from expectations. You will always get confused since people might think you are just daydreaming. Entrepreneurship can be difficult, so you must try it to know if you are really suitable for the field.
HKUST GBUS Alumni Series
Victor Yip
