A small software studio built by a teacher, for people who actually need it.
No venture capital, no corporate overhead, no growth targets to hit. Just a Grade 6 teacher building the tools he actually needed for his own classroom, household, and family — and keeping them running for the long haul.
Fairer pricing, permanently
No venture capital means no growth-at-all-costs pricing. Low overhead is a lasting structural advantage — not a promo that expires once the studio finds its footing.
Built from lived need
Every product started as a real problem for a teacher, a parent, or a household — not a gap found in market research. The problems are real because they were lived first.
Designed to work together
The products share an audience, a design language, and a data philosophy. They're built to complement one another over time, not compete for the same subscription budget.
Five live products, one philosophy
Sparkmas, Maintainr, hometable, CalmCents, and Dewi — each with its own brand and customers, each priced fairly because there's no overhead to cover, and each designed to work alongside the others rather than compete for the same subscription budget.
Built the year Christmas planning got overwhelming: an advent calendar, elf-idea generator, and an AI decor tool — at a fraction of what an agency-built app would cost.
Visit sparkmas.ca
Photograph a mechanic's receipt and it logs itself. Built because keeping vehicle records shouldn't require a $30/month fleet-software subscription — this one's $4.99.
Visit trymaintainr.com
Built with his daughter for their own kitchen table: a recipe box, a shopping list that sorts itself by aisle, and pantry tracking — for families managing the same weekly scramble.
Visit hometable.ca
A calm, simple budgeting app — no red warnings, just a clear picture of where money goes. Pairs naturally with hometable's grocery planning to cut spending without a second subscription.
Visit calmcents.ca
Built by a teacher for his own classroom: scan a stack of books with a phone camera, track checkouts by student, and retire the paper sign-out sheet for good.
Visit getdewi.caPortfolio last updated July 3, 2026
Building toward six more
These products aren't ready for customers yet. They're listed here for transparency — not to sell, just to show where the studio is headed next.
School and district asset tracking, built on the Dewi scanning engine. In pilot testing for the 2026–27 school year.
A home library and personal-collection version of Dewi, for households who want the same organization at home.
A vinyl collector's app with Discogs integration for tracking a collection and getting alerts on wanted records.
A teacher marking and gradebook tool. Feature-complete, currently working through the legal review that student-data handling requires.
A multi-portal platform for string music education, connecting players, students, teachers, and luthiers in one place.
A brass and woodwind companion to WoodSong, extending the same multi-portal platform to a wider range of instruments.
Built by a teacher, tested on real families.
Most software is built by teams optimizing for investor returns. ADC is different. Every product here was built because I personally needed it — as a teacher, as a parent, as someone managing a household budget.
With no venture capital and no corporate overhead, I can charge prices that are actually fair, build features that actually matter, and design tools that work together rather than competing for your subscription budget. That's the ADC difference.
hometable exists because I built it with my daughter as a real, working meal planner for our own kitchen table. Maintainr logs a receipt the way an actual mechanic hands it over. Being the customer, not just the builder, keeps every product honest — and keeps it built for the long haul.
Frequently asked
What is Anchored Development Co.?
Anchored Development Co. is an independent software studio based in Bedford, Nova Scotia, founded and run by a Grade 6 teacher. It builds a small portfolio of durable, practical consumer apps rather than chasing rapid growth or acquisition.
What products does Anchored Development Co. make?
Live products are Sparkmas (a seasonal Christmas family app), Maintainr (a vehicle maintenance tracker), hometable (a family meal planner), CalmCents (a personal budgeting app), and Dewi (a classroom library app for teachers). Dewi Assets, Dewi Home, Vinyl Vault, GradeManager, WoodSong, and WindSong are in active development.
Who founded Anchored Development Co.?
A Grade 6 teacher in Bedford, Nova Scotia, who builds software nights and summers alongside a full-time teaching career. Several products, including Dewi and hometable, grew directly out of classroom and family needs.
Is Anchored Development Co. venture-backed?
No. The studio is self-funded and independently owned, with no outside investors, and it prioritizes software that lasts for years over rapid growth or a quick sale.
Questions, partnerships, press
Whether you're a school looking at Dewi, a creator interested in Sparkmas, or just want to say hello — reach out directly.
info@anchoreddevco.com