Cameroonian Engineer Turns Google Forms Into AI Career

When Jehpte Ioudom needed to survey traveling employees at Ericsson Cameroon, a fellow intern showed him Google Forms. Watching responses automatically compile into organized data changed everything for the business student from Douala.

That single moment during his internship transformed how he saw technology. For the first time, he witnessed a digital tool solving a real business problem without weeks of manual paperwork.

Ioudom had grown up with a computer at home, but understanding what technology could actually accomplish came much later. Working on Ericsson's 3G deployment project for MTN showed him how infrastructure and data were reshaping communication across entire countries.

After graduation, he took a role at Kia Motors that looked like sales but really revolved around market intelligence. Collecting data about competitors, customer preferences, and vehicle trends revealed how deeply information influenced every business decision from imports to maintenance.

That curiosity pulled him deeper into technology. He pursued a master's degree in information management at Nova Information Management School in Portugal, arriving just as Web Summit relocated to Lisbon and the city's tech ecosystem exploded.

During his studies, he interned at an AI startup crowdsourcing datasets for companies building AI systems. Then came Accenture, where he dove into technology consulting and cloud systems during the pandemic when European companies were rapidly migrating to the cloud.

But working for one organization felt limiting. In 2021, Ioudom launched Foubslabs, his own consulting practice focused on data platforms, cloud systems, analytics, and AI solutions.

The Ripple Effect

Since founding Foubslabs, Ioudom has worked with organizations across Europe and Africa in sectors from financial services and manufacturing to pharmaceuticals and energy. His projects now span continents and industries, each one multiplying the impact of that first discovery with Google Forms.

One project stands out: partnering with the World Bank in the Republic of Benin on an AI pilot initiative for mathematics teachers. The business student who once marveled at automatic survey responses now builds AI systems that help educators teach better.

His journey from discovering a simple form builder to consulting on enterprise AI proves that transformative careers often start with small moments of curiosity and one person willing to explore what's possible.