Meet Mercer Henderson, the 13-year-old tech entrepreneur who created digital products and turned app purchases into donations for nonprofit organizations

At 13 years of age, Mercer Henderson had already created apps and was exploring ways to connect her work with nonprofit causes.

In October 2016, Forbes profiled Henderson as the founder of 4GirlsTech and the creator of Audiots, an app that added sounds to emojis. The profile also covered FriendIts, her second app, which allowed users to create private communities to share and swap clothes, accessories and other items.

How Mercer Henderson Created Audiots

Forbes reported that the idea for Audiots came from the way Henderson and her friends communicated using technology.


According to the profile, Henderson and her friends used texting and audio files to communicate. She then worked with a UX designer, sound engineer and app developer to develop Audiots. Forbes reported that Henderson selected the audio and user experience for each emoji and that the development process took about five months.

The San Francisco SPCA described Audiots as a sound-based emoji keyboard. Users could select emojis with professionally recorded sound bites, while the recipient did not need to have the Audiots keyboard to receive them.

Audiots for Good Connected App Purchases With Nonprofits

Henderson also created Audiots for Good, a philanthropic initiative connected to Audiots.

Forbes reported that the initiative partnered with nonprofit organizations to create custom emoji packs. The publication said $1.99 purchases through the initiative were donated to various causes, including breast cancer charities, and reported that Henderson gave up personal profit from the initiative.

One documented partnership was with the San Francisco SPCA. In August 2016, the San Francisco SPCA announced its partnership with Audiots. The organization said a portion of the proceeds from its $1.99 Audiots emoji pack would be contributed to the SF SPCA. The pack contained 18 emojis featuring animals, including dogs and cats with sounds.

The SF SPCA described the partnership as the first step in building out the philanthropic side of Audiots and said several other partnerships were planned at the time.

FriendIts Was Henderson's Second App

Henderson's second app, FriendIts, focused on sharing and swapping clothes, accessories and other items.

Forbes reported that the idea came from Henderson and her friends exchanging items. The app allowed users to create private communities where they could share and swap items.

Forbes also reported that Henderson envisioned a future feature that would allow users to send unwanted items to nonprofits or people in need. The profile presented this as an idea for the future, rather than an existing feature of the app.

Henderson Balanced School With Entrepreneurship

At the time of the Forbes profile, Henderson was balancing school with her work as a young entrepreneur.

Forbes reported that she had met Geena Davis through the Geena Davis Institute and had advocated for girls' entrepreneurship and against gender stereotypes.

The San Francisco SPCA reported that Henderson was a big pet lover and was actively involved with the organization. The organization also reported that she wanted to create a philanthropic arm of Audiots.

Forbes reported that Henderson's ultimate dream was for her generation to be known as “Generation G,” or “Generation Good.”