Interviewed by Batzul Gerelsaikhan. Photographed by Suniko Bazargarid.

Meet Delgernaran Bayar (Hobby School: 1996-2000, 2001-2002) who is the CEO at Gravity Lab Pte Ltd in Singapore. Previously, Delgernaran worked at Rakuten for 7 years at its Tokyo, Toronto and Singapore offices. Delgernaran is quadrilingual and has majored in Social Psychology at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo with a full Japanese Government Scholarship.

• Full name: Delgernaran Bayar

• Class: 2005; and 2006

• Higher Education: B.Sc. in Social Psychology from Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, Japan

• Languages: Mongolian, English, Japanese, German

• Current workplace: Gravity Lab Pte Ltd in Singapore

• Past workplaces: Rakuten for 7 years at its Tokyo, Toronto and Singapore offices

PERSONAL

1. As a classmate, I know you learnt English in Mongolia and Japanese in Tokyo, but where did you learn German?

My plan was to attend a German university since education is almost free there. My language education began at School #38 and continued at Goethe School in Ulaanbaatar. In my last year of high school I was at Bodelschwingh-Gymnasium Herchen in Germany. I was in the first batch of Mongolians to receive the German language (DSD II) diploma from the German Government. It was proof that my language proficiency was good enough to attend universities there. 

2. How many schools did you attend before going to university?

I attended a total of 7 schools before university. I started at School #50. Then I enrolled into Hobby school (1996-2000) to learn English. I was briefly at Sant School in my 3rd year. I got accepted into School #11 for my 5th year, which was famous for their excellent math and physics curriculum. However, as soon as I learnt that the German universities were free, I decided to go to School #38 to learn the German language, but I was back at Hobby School for a year (2001-2002). I changed my school again to Goethe School to further my German.

In my last year of high school I was at Bodelschwingh-Gymnasium Herchen in Germany but it turned out that they didn’t allow students to skip grades. I graduated from Goethe School at only 15, you see. So it was faster for me to go back and study at Mongolian University for Science and Technology (MUST) for 2 years and apply to German universities from Mongolia. All in all, my time at Hobby School was the longest.

3. Which universities did you apply to and why did you pick the university you went to?

I never really planned to go to Japan to begin with. When I got accepted into the Japanese Government Scholarship program, I had to go back to the drawing board, check online and ask current students at Japanese universities: “Who was the best psychology professor in Japan?”. It turned out to be Koji Murata, a professor at Hitotsubashi University, and so I picked Hitotsubashi University where I had the opportunity to join Koji Murata’s undergraduate seminar and conduct psychological experiments directly under his supervision.

4. How did you get the Japanese Government Scholarship?

I prepared for 2 months and got the scholarship. This scholarship test is held in June every year and it is run by the Embassy of Japan in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It is a free test, so if you are within the age range and required education level, anyone can apply.

The scholarship sounded too good to be true when I first heard about it. One year of Japanese language training and 4 years of bachelor’s tuition fee, which are all covered by the Japanese government and a monthly stipend of 135,000 Yen. You can ONLY study at the best national universities in Japan and even the flight tickets were paid for. The best of all, you didn’t have to pay any of it back!

5. I have to ask something now. Is it true that you can read 6 books per day? How many books have you read in your life?

So the rumors have gotten a bit wilder. I gave a talk a while back and someone misheard me saying “I leave 2 hours a day for reading books” into “I read 2 books a day”. The person wrote it in a blogpost and it went viral in Mongolia. Some other bloggers and news sites picked it up and spread it as “2 books EVERYDAY”. Now it is a 6-books-a-day-reader according to your question.

 Although I don’t count myself as a good reader compared to other people I know of, I can read up to 1,200 words per minute according to a speed reading test I did back in university. The most I have read a day were 3 novels, 200 pages each. However, it happens once in a blue moon and it depends on the book also. For example, if the book is not to my liking, I immediately stop. Because I read to learn and get entertained, the number of books I start and finish are vastly different. Sometimes, I would read a sentence and contemplate on it for many many days and weeks.

Regarding the number of books I have read so far, I really don’t know. I try to keep track of the number on Goodreads and it says I have read hundreds. If you include all the comics and mangas, the number might be more than a thousand. I owe my reading habits a lot to Hobby School. I even got a prize for reading the most books a year back in elementary school.

6. From thousands of books you have read in your life, which 3 books influenced you the most?

Every book influences your perception of the world and I believe these three impacted me the most so far.

1. “How to improve your mind” - A book in English I read back in third grade which goes about how the mind works and how we are susceptible to perception fallacies. By understanding how your mind works, you can learn how to be more efficient. I learnt how to stress less, memorize faster and more, comprehend complex ideas, and read faster. I think this book might have given me the edge until university. I do not remember the author’s name, unfortunately.

2. “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien - this genius author blew me away. I never imagined that a single mind can have an imaginative faculty at this scale and also be able to pen it down. The history of Middle Earth might be more detailed than some real countries. This book opened the floodgates of the Sci-Fi and Fantasy genre for me.

3. I don’t even remember the title of the book. This was when I was just over three years of age. I came across this German book which was about childbirth and conception and just from the pictures I understood that my parents were lying to me about where babies come from. From that day forth, I decided to unlock any other mysteries and secrets out there through books.

 7. Other than reading, what do you do during your free time?

Free time is a luxury. My leisure time habits haven’t changed much since kindergarten, which are reading books and playing video games. Contrary to what many people think, I am quite introverted and like having a lot of quality “me” time. Usually, I ponder and stroll around parks for a few hours to regain vital mental energy.

8. What are your good and bad habits? How did your habits shape you?

I get too fixated when I find interest in something and lose focus on everything else. It is both good and bad. Helped with my studies, work and friendships. But makes me a very bad conversationalist if you talk to me long enough as I usually get lost in my own web of thoughts.

10. What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you?

I have lots, but this one is work related. It was one of my first big deals at Rakuten, which involved high profile Rakuten senior management. We were going to meet with a big corporation and since I am relatively junior, I was not expected or planning to attend. However, just before the meeting, I was asked to join. At Rakuten, everyone is dressed casually (wrinkled t-shirts and jeans), and I thought I looked more professional compared to others or so I said to myself, but 10 minutes before departure everyone changed into their shiny tailor-made suits and dresses, and they looked like they actually run a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Everyone was in a hurry and nobody noticed me wearing a red cashmere shirt until we got into the elevator and just when somebody was saying “Hey Denar, you are dressed interestingly…” the elevator door opened and we were quickly led into the big fancy conference room you see in movies. Since I was the last minute addition, they had prepared a seat for me right next to the projector display and everyone was staring at me.

I was mortified to see that the other party was even more professional looking with double suits and all (like you see in Wall Street themed movies). The whole meeting took two hours and 90% of the time was spent looking at my direction towards the screen. I was super sure I was going to get yelled at or get fired for being so unprofessional since it was a meeting involving a significant sum of investment and no mistakes were allowed. Right after the meeting, I quickly excused myself back to the office telling that I have some unfinished work. Everyone else went to dinner. I didn’t sleep well that night. The next day, no one seemed to mention my lack of professionalism. So I asked my supervisor about this and she mentioned that because of me, our company actually looked like a modern tech company unlike the other party and also mentioned I should be prepared at all times. So I was worried for nothing and missed out on an exquisite dinner. Ever since, I always travel with a suit and have a blazer at my desk, just in case.

11. If you could have dinner with anyone from history (dead or alive), who would it be and why?

The more I learn about the Buddha, the more I am fascinated by his teachings. It would be great to talk to him and share some “chanasan makh” (Чанасан мах - boiled meat in Mongolian).

12. If you could compare yourself with any animal, what animal would you be?

Never thought of comparing myself to an animal. Let’s just say I am a tardigrade

13. When was the last time you made someone happy? What did you do?

Don’t get this the wrong way, but everytime I call my parents, they always get happy and vice versa. Living abroad for so long has its ups and downs.

14. What is the best advice you have received in your life? Who gave that advice also?

I found a great advice in Jordan B. Peterson’s book called “12 Rules for Life”. The first rule is to “Stand up straight with your shoulders straight” which reverberated within me. I was never told these exact words, but I knew exactly what it meant.

15. In Mongolia, whom do you admire most right now? Why?

Everyone living in Mongolia. Just think about it. -40 winters and +40 summers, you have to battle with the elements just to get basic things done. I have been explaining this to so many people around the world now that I too have come to have an admiration.

16. Is there any message or advice you would like to give to your fellow Hobby Alumni readers?

Let’s have an active network that empowers current students and alumni both.

AT HOBBY SCHOOL

17. What kind of a student were you?

I was a split between the class clown and the most studious looking one, a total nerd. One moment, I would be doing pranks and jokes and the next moment, I would have my nose in a book. One time in my first year of school, a teacher scolded me for reading a book while walking across the street. Also, when everyone in class was asked to draw their classmates, they just drew a book instead of my face. This gag went on till 4th year. A few years back, a former classmate told me that I didn’t let anyone copy my answers during exams and was very selfish. Sorry.

18. Do you have any regrets or a failure you can share with us?

I used to go to a public school near my home before I joined Hobby School. I remember that a boy in my public school class was always late because he had to wait for his older brother to come back from school to give him the shoes he was wearing, just so he can walk to school in cold weather. Hobby School kids were a far cry from the world where I was coming from. My father was a driver back then and some of my classmates had their own private drivers. I felt ashamed of it back then. My deepest regret would be feeling ashamed of myself. I could have just ignored it and let myself be open to a lot more people.

19. What are your fondest memories at Hobby School?

I have a lot. I still hold them close to heart.

Firstly, the classes at school. (Sorry for being a nerd.) Looking back, we sure had a diverse team of teachers. Every class seemed to have their own distinct vibe.

Secondly, interactions with my dear classmates. We used to have a lot of fun at school and even outside of school. When Hobby School was in the former Embassy of India, we had a full building to ourselves and the big garden in the back. The whole place felt like a maze for us to explore and the garden seemed like a forest to run through.

20. Who was your favorite teacher?

Firstly, I would love to thank Mrs. Oyuntsetseg and my class teacher Mrs. Dari. They made me the person I am today. I still remember how Mrs. Oyuntsetseg was strict with us and she taught us how to be disciplined. Also, thanks to Mrs. Dari for teaching us not subjects but how to be a good person in general.

21. Why Hobby School?

My parents believed English was the way forward after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Hobby School excelled at it.

22. What do you like most about Hobby Alumni? How are you planning to support us?

I keep bumping into awesome Mongolians around the world and they usually turn out to be Hobby Alumni. I can do Ask-Me-Anything sessions at the school and mentor if necessary.

CAREER

23. People know you most from your career at Rakuten. Can you explain to our readers what Rakuten does and what did you do there?

I started my career at Rakuten as a Marketing staff, then got promoted to a Marketing Consultant and later worked as a Business Development Manager on the Asia-Pacific expansion strategy. Rakuten is a global internet services company with 1.2 billion users across its 70+ businesses worldwide. The company is the main partner for FC Barcelona and also has a partnership with the Golden State Warriors. You can say Rakuten is one of the successful tech startup stories of Japan. Viber, the social app, is also their subsidiary and I believe it has some presence in Mongolia.

Last year, I was involved in the Rakuten Accelerator program powered by Techstars. We selected 10 companies from around the world. AND Global (LendMN is their service company in Mongolia) was a part of this batch. Through this program, AND Global was able to work with Viber and has started doing their money transfer services on the Viber app. I had a great experience working with all the startups in the program.

24. You worked 7 years at Rakuten. What are some of your career highlights from your time there?

Now that you mention it, I had somewhat of a career. The best parts of it were meeting with great people and learning a lot from them. My last job interviewer was the co-founder of Square Soft, he worked on all the famous Final Fantasy games. Not a lot of employees get this chance but our department was invited to have dinner with the CEO of Rakuten in my second year. I had the opportunity to sit opposite of him and sing karaoke. My manager stopped me from getting a signature from Ken Kutaragi, the founder of Playstation and a board member of Rakuten. Also, I got an award for achieving a record monthly growth in sales in Japan. In Canada, I was surrounded by bookworms and authors. It was a dream job. As a business development manager based in Singapore, I was able to work in many countries and meet with leaders of multinational conglomerates and cutting edge startups.

25. Were you the first Mongolian to work at Rakuten?

Not at all. The company is huge and at any given time there are at least 10 Mongolian nationals in the company. Even my cousin used to work there.

26. How did you end up in Singapore?

An old business manager of mine from Rakuten in Japan invited me over to join her team in Singapore.

27. Have you worked anywhere else before?

Yes, I first began my career at Rakuten in Tokyo, Japan and worked there for almost 3 years. Then I got invited to work in Toronto, Canada and worked there for 2 and a half years.

28. Where are you working at the moment? What do you do there?

I am a partner at MLab, which is a partnership based in Singapore. At MLab, we plan on  investing into early stage startups and also building a digital ecosystem for startups based on blockchain technology. Inside the ecosystem, we will register startups, invest in them, provide them with office space, recruit people for them, give advisory services and so much more. Currently startups fail at very simple steps and we want to provide this solution.

To make this vision a reality, we founded an operating company under the partnership called Gravity Lab in Singapore. Our first investment was in MSpace, which is a co-working space at Central Tower in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. There are more down the pipeline. I was assigned as the chief executive officer of this company recently. With that being said, if anyone wants to work with us or pitch your startup, our doors are always open!

29. In your career, what mistakes have you done? How did you overcome that obstacle and what did you learn from that experience?

Back when I was a new graduate at Rakuten, my biggest mistake was going into meetings without understanding people’s expectations. Since I am from a psychology background, I tended to focus more on customer behavior and everyone would question me hard on it. Our business leader would scold me over the business decisions I suggested.

I overcame it by attaching monetary value to every action I explained. This is a no-brainer for most people but it was a breakthrough moment for me.

30. What is the biggest challenge you face at work? How are you planning to tackle this obstacle?

I have never led a business in my life before and I don’t have much confidence in my leadership skills. This is quite terrifying, but I will follow my mentors’ advice.

31. Who are your mentors?

I actually had 4 so far in my career. All of them very young for their positions.

32. What is the one thing you love most about your work?

The responsibility of building a digital ecosystem that empowers companies.

33. What changes would you like to see over the next two to five years in Mongolia?

The air pollution of Ulaanbaatar.

34. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I am single now, so hopefully married.

35. Whom should Hobby Alumni get to know next and why?

My dear friend Doctor Dulguun Amgalan. She did her B.Sc. in Biochemistry at University of Tokyo, Japan; and Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, USA.