Cameroonian-born tech pioneer Rebecca Enonchong grew from a curious teenager to one of Africa’s leading tech advocates. At just 15, she took a job selling door-to-door newspaper subscriptions, and two years later, she was already managing the team. This early exposure to leadership was the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey.
After her family moved to the United States in the 1980s, Enonchong entered an entirely different life. She attended the Catholic University of America, earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Economics.
Her big break came in 1999 when she founded AppsTech, a software company providing enterprise application solutions. It started as a small operation in Maryland but grew into a global provider of software solutions, serving clients in over 50 countries.
AppsTech provides everything a business needs to manage its software. This includes planning, setting up, and choosing the right software, providing support, and connecting all company parts, such as finance, HR, and supply chains. Their solutions, powered by Oracle, work on mobile devices, are flexible and businesses can use them on-site or in the cloud. AppsTech also has offices on three continents and has worked in over 25 countries, providing services 24/7 with a qualified team of experts.
Bring global home
Despite her global success, Rebecca Enonchong was unsatisfied with building a successful company; she wanted to bring technology closer to home. She focused on Africa, recognising that her continent was full of potential but faced significant challenges due to a lack of infrastructure and opportunities. To address this gap, she became a passionate advocate for women in tech, promoting more female founders, CEOs, and leaders in the startup ecosystem. Additionally, she fiercely supports entrepreneurs in Francophone Africa, where the business environment is often less conducive to innovation. Thus, she became the chair of ActivSpaces, a tech incubator in Cameroon.
Additionally, she co-founded the African Business Angel Network (ABAN), where she has connected early-stage investors across Africa to ecosystems that support them. She has also helped link them to over 320 innovation centres across 51 African countries.
Rebecca Enonchong serves on the Salesforce.com Foundation and VC4Africa board, one of Africa’s largest online platforms connecting entrepreneurs and investors. She also sits on the UK Department for International Development’s Digital Advisory Panel. She has previously contributed to the UN’s Women Global Advisory Committee and the United Nations ICT Task Force.
Over the years, her work has earned her global recognition. She was named a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum and featured in Forbes as one of Africa’s top female tech founders. Rebecca Enonchong is not just a tech entrepreneur but a mentor, advocate, and force for change.
