Rebecca Enonchong, born on July 11, 1967, in Cameroon, Africa, is an entrepreneur and businesswoman widely recognized in the technology sector. In 2014, Forbes named her among the ten most influential women promoting technology worldwide. She founded AppsTech in 1999, a software services company that has become one of Africa’s most prominent tech ventures.
Today, Enonchong also invests in multiple African startups and advocates for technological development across the continent. Raised in a stable family—her father was a well-known lawyer in Cameroon—her life changed when she moved to the United States at age 14, where she had to start over and build her path from scratch.
Like many entrepreneurs, her story began early. While in high school in the U.S., she sold digital newspaper subscriptions, showing an instinct for business. After graduation, she earned a degree in Economics from the Catholic University of America and later completed a Master’s to deepen her expertise.
From the Inter-American Development Bank to entrepreneurship
One of her first professional experiences after university was at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). In her mid-thirties, with personal savings and no family support due to the risk involved, Enonchong decided to take a leap and founded her own company—AppsTech.
“As I wrote my plan for myself and not for bankers or investors, I could be completely honest,” she once explained. “I could expose my weaknesses and market risks directly, and that helped me develop strategies to counter them. My business model evolved significantly from what I had first envisioned—and even more so over the years.”
Despite lacking stable housing or office space during the early days, Rebecca stayed committed to her vision of creating a global technology company. AppsTech provided integrated enterprise support solutions aimed at business clients. Today, it operates in more than 40 countries across Africa, Europe, and North America, and is an official partner of Oracle, a global leader in cloud computing.
She often recalls that she didn’t have a permanent home until two years after founding the company. During that period, she closely observed her competition and built a multilingual, globally oriented team. “I turned services into products,” she explained, summarizing her business model: “If it works, they pay us. If it doesn’t, they don’t.” This straightforward approach attracted major clients early on, including Salesforce and Oracle, and led to the launch of three distinct service packages.
Recognition and impact in the tech industry
AppsTech’s rapid growth marked a turning point in Africa’s technology landscape. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Enonchong was named a Global Leader for Tomorrow, solidifying her reputation as a pioneer in African innovation. She has since become an influential advocate for expanding opportunities in tech for Africans and women entrepreneurs.
Throughout her career, Enonchong has received numerous awards for her contributions to the technology sector and her work supporting African startups. She was a finalist for the African Digital Woman Award in 2013 and recognized by Forbes in 2014. In 2018, she was listed among the fifty most influential Africans by a major magazine.
Beyond entrepreneurship, she has collaborated with the United Nations through its global women’s committee and serves on the board of Salesforce. Her leadership, resilience, and advocacy continue to inspire a generation of African innovators.
Rebecca Enonchong founded AppsTech with no office, no home, and limited resources—and turned it into a global software company. Two decades later, she remains a symbol of determination, innovation, and empowerment in the African tech industry.