Yvette Kong helps kids learn emotions where AI fails

Jan 21, 2026

Cover For start-up founders like Yvette Kong, HSBC Private Bank offers tailored wealth management solutions that address both their business and personal wealth needs, empowering them to build their financial resilience and thrive (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)

For start-up founders like Yvette Kong, HSBC Private Bank offers tailored wealth management solutions that address both their business and personal wealth needs, empowering them to build their financial resilience and thrive (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)

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Through her education start-up Arelyx, Yvette Kong passes on lessons of building resilience, purpose and emotional strength from her professional swimming journey to the next generation

In an era where artificial intelligence feels inescapable, Yvette Kong, founder of education start-up Arelyx, believes young people need more than technical proficiency. “Arelyx exists to prepare young people not just to compete in the AI era, but to stay deeply human within it,” she says. “Our mission is to strengthen the mental, emotional and ethical capacities that machines can’t replicate.”

Her team cultivates these skills through workshops on mental resilience, problem-solving and leadership. While often a secondary focus in most education systems, Kong argues that these soft skills are essential for students to learn, grow, adapt and thrive in the face of rapid technological change and mounting pressure to succeed.

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“Achievement without meaning is fragile,” she says, reflecting on her years as a competitive swimmer, during which she represented Hong Kong at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. “Resilience isn’t about never failing, but about finding strength and meaning every time you do.”

Arelyx uses its own proprietary framework, React, which draws from clinical psychology and learning sciences to enhance human capacities needed to adapt and thrive in the AI era. This includes helping students to self-regulate under stress while striving for excellence. Piloted in at least three schools in Hong Kong, the workshops are more than one-offs: the Arelyx team collects pre- and post-programme data to measure student progress and keep the model evidence-based. They are also developing AI technologies and digital tools to help educators interpret insights and integrate them into their own systems.

Among those watching her journey is Alan Wong, senior desk head of ultra-high-net-worth for Hong Kong at HSBC Private Bank. “I can see how your dedication and vision help shape your approach to business,” says Wong, who has followed Kong since her Olympic days and is inspired by her commitment to social impact.

To support more innovative ventures championing positive change, the global bank launched HSBC Innovation Banking in 2023 to provide tailored financing solutions, banking support and strategic guidance to founders. “We embrace a one-bank collaborative approach to support entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey. As their ventures expand, their personal wealth needs become increasingly complex,” Wong says.

Above Drawing on her Olympic journey, Kong is championing a change in education with her start-up Arelyx, which teaches students crucial soft skills they need to thrive in the age of AI (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)

Drawing on her Olympic journey, Kong is championing a change in education with her start-up Arelyx, which teaches students crucial soft skills they need to thrive in the age of AI (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)

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The biggest challenge for Kong in running her start-up is that it operates in “a grey zone”, where it is neither a charity nor a fully for-profit venture. “Social ventures often fall outside of traditional funding models. We’re asked to prove both measurable impact and commercial viability before either side is willing to bet on us,” the Gen.T Leader of Tomorrow explains.

Financial well-being means scaling her mission without compromising on purpose. “Beyond capital, what would make the biggest difference is financial and psychological safety,” Kong says, pointing to programmes that combine funding with mentorship, mental health and financial literacy support. “That stability isn’t luxury—it’s what allows us to serve others with clarity and courage.”

Above Alan Wong, senior desk head of ultra-high-net-worth for Hong Kong, HSBC Private Bank, breaks down what it takes to grow a business that makes a difference beyond just the funding (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)

Alan Wong, senior desk head of ultra-high-net-worth for Hong Kong, HSBC Private Bank, breaks down what it takes to grow a business that makes a difference beyond just the funding (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)

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HSBC Private Bank specialises in providing tailored wealth management solutions that help entrepreneurs achieve both their business and personal wealth goals across geographies and generations, while fostering positive changes in the communities that they serve. “Wealth management can play a critical role in diversifying their risk exposure from business ventures, giving them greater financial resilience and peace of mind,” Wong says. HSBC Private Bank was named Best Private Bank for Entrepreneurs in Asia at the PWM and The Banker, Global Private Banking Awards 2025 and the Asian Private Banker Awards for Distinction 2025.

From peer networks that help founders navigate the emotional highs and lows to partners who prioritise social impact over short-term gains, Wong sees a global bank like HSBC as a powerful connector. “We connect entrepreneurs with the right people and ideas through our global network, be it peers, partners or opportunities,” he says. “Together, we make a real impact.”

This article is presented in partnership with HSBC Innovation Banking. Now, meet more Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow 2025 shaping Asia’s future.

Reminder: “To borrow or not to borrow? Borrow only if you can repay!”

HSBC Innovation Banking refers to HSBC’s worldwide innovation banking business and is not indicative of any legal entity or relationship.

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Credits

Content Direction: Kat Yeung

Art Direction: Isaac Woo

Photography: Zed Leet

Producer: Candy Choy & Yoyo Chow