Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
Last year, Rexan Wong made a social media post about an app he was working on. The 17-year-old had no idea the post would gain 400,000 views overnight.
The post was made on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. It showed how an application called Text Behind Image worked. The tool helps users edit images, allowing them to add words to their photographs and customise them.
A passionate coder
Rexan graduated from Hong Kong International School. He now attends a university in the United States.
Rexan began developing apps while still in secondary school. He hoped he could use technology to solve problems: “I wanted to take matters into my own hands.”
For six months, Rexan watched hours-long YouTube video tutorials every day. He learned the basics and became a passionate coder. He has now won five hackathons, many of which were international.
“I was often the only person under 18,” he recalled.
Rexan became used to building hackathon projects. However, it was hard for him to attract users to his apps. He discovered that many developers used social media to promote their apps and gain users. The teenager decided to do the same.
“I was really inspired. I wanted to be that guy,” he said. “I turned that inspiration into action.”
Rexan credited the hundreds of thousands of users across his apps to his social media presence.
“Share your progress,” he said. “Once you put it online, you’re building an audience – and a personal brand.”
Practical tools for young people
In just over a year, Rexan developed several applications that solved problems he had faced himself. He built his first product in early 2024, a video editing tool. It became the launch pad for other successful apps.
Later that year, he launched BulletPen, a tool powered by artificial intelligence designed to help students with their writing. For example, a student can speak aloud to BulletPen, vocalising their thoughts on any topic. The tool will “write it down” for them, typing it out with more precise and academic language.
The tool is important for students who struggle with writing, Rexan said. He called it a resource for those with learning differences or physical disabilities. It is also a good tool for students who find it easier to speak aloud to process their thoughts.
The teen entrepreneur hopes he can inspire people his age to get into tech entrepreneurship.
“You just have to stay consistent. You have to stay motivated,” he said.
