Rebecca Enonchong

Rebecca Enonchong

Rebecca Enonchong (born 11 July 1965) is a Cameroonian entrepreneur and business woman. She is also the founder and CEO of AppsTech, a global enterprise application solutions provider. A leading figure in Africa's technology sector, she is known for her work promoting tech innovation and investment across the continent. Enonchong’s desire to unleash the potential of young people just starting out in their careers stems from her own difficult experiences when she was attempting to do the same.

Quotes

• An entrepreneur's energy, that’s that energy that gets you to overcome mountains, to cross bridges that don’t exist, to do the impossible..

Rebecca Enonchong Keynote addres at E-learning Africa 2015, June 10,2015.

• “If a black African woman could succeed in America in 1999, then all the entrepreneurs across the world can succeed!”. Rebecca speakimg during an interview with cherie Blair foundation for women.
• It’s so important that women don’t feel alone. You aren’t alone, there are so many of us out there and if we can build this community around mentors, mentees and the Foundation, supporting each other and showing each other the way. Sometimes even peer-to-peer mentorship can be helpful,like having someone else next to you, saying "I’ve been through it, we’re going through it together." It’s really what I think we need to progress. Rebecca speaking with the cherie Blair foundation for women.
• Rather than being disappointed and angry, entrepreneurs take the energy that could have been a negative one, and transform it into something positive – something that I call ‘entrepreneurial energy’. I learn from those disappointments and challenges and always ask myself “What can I do so that other entrepreneurs can learn from my mistakes”.Rebecca speaking on the entrepreneurial energy

• The mind of a black African woman wasn’t worth as much as that of a white male, so I usually had to hide behind the business as it was difficult for people to accept it was my company.

Rebecca speaking in an interview with the CEO Magazine.

• I think for us to be able to attract more and more women into the tech industry, we need to see more faces like mine.Rebecca speaking during an interview

• I’m hoping that the new generation of entrepreneurs can show their face and be the face of their business, which is a luxury that unfortunately I didn’t have at the time. Rebecca speaking during an interview

• There is no textbook that can explain to you how to do business in your own country. So I discovered the hard way, how difficult and how different it is to do business in emerging markets in Africa.
  • Global Seedstars Summit 2018, April 12,2018 2 (6:25)

• "There was nobody in my industry that looked like me. It was rather discouraging at the beginning, because nobody expected me to be the Founder and CEO of a company." Rebecca speaking during an interview with cherie Blair foundation for women.

• To be an entrepreneur in Africa you must be raving mad.
  • Global Seedstars Summit 2018, April 12,2018 2 (7:05)

• You don’t envy the best, You learn from the best and you apply those to your business.
  • TEDxEuston, November 30, 2019 3 (17:05)

• I am asked, what is it like to be black woman African entrepreneur. And I say those are my characteristics but they don’t define me. My experience is what molded me … and the tools I got from those experiences.
  • TEDxEuston, November 30, 2019 3 (19:00)

• “Just knowing that other people are in your situation and are making it through is great support. I think that this is how you build out the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Africa, one person at a time supporting others.”

• • https://www.lionessesofafrica.com/blog/2018/8/28/quote-of-the-day-by-rebecca-enonchong
• It’s hard for Black women everywhere, not just in Africa. I think that we Africans will be the ones to help change perception for the rest of the Black women elsewhere. Look at AfriLabs, mostly led by women. It’s not just symbolic. Representation matters. The more young girls and boys see tech organizations and startups are run by women, the more this will become normalized.
  • [1] Rebecca Enonchong's response when asked, "What is one key challenge in changing perceptions for African female entrepreneurs in tech?"
• African entrepreneurs are given the extra burden of having to demonstrate the “social” benefit of their solution, in many cases. This is changing but has been a real barrier to getting funded. Startups around gaming and entertainment are often overlooked because they seem frivolous.
  • [2]
• You don't envy the best. You learn from them and apply those to your business.
  • [3]
• I could stay angry, or i could find a way around it.
  • [4]
• My experiences and life prepared me for the challenges.
  • [5]