Women Who Are Crushing It! Bolor-Erdene Battsengel and Girls Code
She served as the youngest female in the Mongolian government, and now she’s created Girls Code, a free, competitive 12-week boot camp for girls in rural Mongolia to learn marketable skills.
Basic Info:
Your name: Bolor-Erdene Battsengel
Are you a solopreneur? Yes
Name of business: Girls Code
Time in business (months, years): 3 years
Type of business: NGO
Location: Mongolia
Source(s) of funding: Fundraising from companies as an ESG
Website or the mobile app: girlscode.mn
SheVentures: What was your “why” for starting your business?
Bolor-Erdene Battsengel: The Girls Code program is an initiative that aims to help young girls from remote areas of Mongolia where they do not have regular internet access and to offer girls from disadvantaged communities the opportunity to learn coding skills over a three-month in-person boot camp training, which is accompanied by an online curriculum.
We have about 80 graduates so far who are between 14 and 18 years old. All these girls come from nomadic communities in Mongolian rural areas. We have eight girls who were accepted to Ivy League universities after studying in the Girls Code program. Many girls are doing part-time coding jobs and paying off their tuition or life expenses.
From my experience, the program has already proved to be efficient and extremely helpful to these girls. Therefore, we are looking to expand our program to other developing countries and collaborate with tech companies to support and create a gender-equal industry.
SV: What is the significance of the name of your company?
BB: I think the significance of the name is simplicity. Our goal is to encourage and support girls from vulnerable backgrounds and teach them coding, so they can potentially pursue a career in technology in the future. The name says it all: girls code.
SV: Considering the fierce competition in today’s business world, how would you highlight your company’s competitive advantages?
BB: The competitive advantage is how we bring in information and communications technology (ICT) sector experts and local best talents to teach the girls. We have mentors who are female leading experts in different parts of the ICT sector, and it gives girls an opportunity to learn from real-life examples.
I believe that once other female figures share their knowledge and become mentors, girls and women will be encouraged to pursue their dreams and a career in IT. It is my mission to establish a female-supportive culture and become a role model.
SV: What makes your business stand out from the crowd?
BB: The impact and community we have built already are what make us stand out in the crowd. More than 80 girls have already become a community that helps, encourages, and embraces each other. They have been accepted to universities across the U.S. and the U.K., and are working with tech companies.
SV: How would your family and friends describe what you do?
BB: I think my family and friends would describe what I do as intense and persistent.
SV: Who is your greatest support when facing hardship in business?
BB: My greatest support is my family and friends as well as the question of why. I always remind myself why I started in the first place and try to remember that hardship is part of the process. Having grown up in a rural town in Mongolia and only moved to the capital city at 10 years old, I know how essential it is to have the proper technological and environmental support to pursue an IT career.
SV: Have you experienced any challenges as a woman-owned business? If so, how did you overcome those challenges?
BB: I have always been either the only woman or the youngest one in the room. My case is a bit different from entrepreneurs as I worked as a Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications in Mongolia. From my experience in the bureaucratic government, it took much more hard work to be accepted as a woman both by my colleagues and by the public as well.
SV: What advice would you give to your younger entrepreneurial self?
BB: I think girls and women starting their business need to be very brave. I have seen many talented and hardworking women taking a step back because they are afraid or because they have more responsibilities such as family and children. This is why we need role models and other women within tech and leadership positions, as they will inspire and encourage young generations to follow in their footsteps.
SV: What has been your biggest entrepreneurial win?
BB: The biggest entrepreneurial win has been the impact of this project. Many girls from disadvantaged communities who enrolled in the program are now studying and also working as part-time coders. In addition to this, they are using their salaries to pay their university tuition.
SV: What’s your favorite metaphor/movie/song for describing entrepreneurship?
BB: My favorite metaphor is “Entrepreneurship is like planting a seed, nurturing it with dedication, hard work, and persistence, and watching it grow into a thriving tree.”
FUN QUESTIONS
SV: Would you rather have more time or money and why?
BB: I know many rich people spend their money buying time for themselves. So, I would say time.
SV: Top three places on the globe you will visit someday:
BB: I have traveled quite a lot. At the top of my list, I want to go to Norway, Canada, and Vietnam. I want to see the Northern Lights in Norway, experience the cold weather in Canada and see how similar it is to Mongolia, and meet entrepreneurs in Vietnam.
SV: Top three web or mobile apps that make your work more effective:
BB: Google Calendar helps me a lot to organize my busy schedule. From my experience in politics over the past three years, I realized that mental health is very important to be efficient and stress-free. I use an app called Calm. Currently, I am trying out ChatGPT, and it is very interesting to me to think of how we can regulate AI in the future.
SV: Favorite woman-owned business (other than your own!):
BB: I like Oprah and how she has been inspiring women all around the world. As a businesswoman, I like Sara Blakely who founded Spanx because she has been an example of an inclusive leader who embraces all women’s body shapes.
SV: If you could have dinner with anyone dead or alive, who would it be and why?
BB: I would have wanted to have dinner with Queen Elizabeth. I would love to hear how she survived as a queen at a very young age, went through many wars, and showed her leadership.
SV: Who would you like to portray you in a movie?
BB: An Asian actress. Even though it is getting better, the representation of the Asian community in Hollywood is very small. I am thinking maybe Gemma Chan.
SV: What is one thing people are surprised to find out about you?
BB: Embrace failure as a learning opportunity. Failure is a natural part of an entrepreneurial journey, and it’s important to learn from your and others’ mistakes and use them as stepping stones to future success.
