About
We build software the way we’d want to use it.
ShadowTail Apps is a small, independent software company. We build focused applications for specific, everyday problems — the kind that don’t show up in a pitch deck, but eat up a real amount of time and mental energy.
We’re not trying to build one app that does everything. We’d rather build several apps that each do one thing well, and let people pick the ones that fit their life. Laurel Education and Merritt Family Manager are the first two. More are on the way.
How we work
A short list, because it’s not complicated.
- Build useful things.
- Solve real problems.
- Keep the experience simple.
- Don't add complexity just because the technology makes it possible.
🇨🇦 Proudly Canadian
Canadian-owned. Canadian-hosted.
For families and schools who’d rather trust a company — and infrastructure — close to home.
Canadian-owned and operated
ShadowTail Apps is a Canadian company, based in East York, Ontario.
Data stored in Canada
Laurel and Merritt both run on Google Cloud infrastructure located in Canada. See each app's Privacy Policy for the full picture, including any narrow exceptions.
Accountable under Canadian law
We handle personal information under Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA), and you can reach the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you ever feel we've fallen short.
Where the name comes from
Before English had the word “squirrel,” the Greeks had skiouros — literally “shadow-tail.” Watch a squirrel sit still for more than five seconds and you’ll see why: it hikes that enormous tail up over its back like a tiny parasol, casting its own shade wherever it goes. No umbrella required. No forecast needed. It showed up prepared.
Squirrels have a reputation for this kind of thing — burying food all over the neighborhood, tracking dozens of hiding spots, running a small logistics operation out of a tree. (To be fair, they also forget where they put a good chunk of it. Nobody’s perfect. We’re not either — that’s kind of the point.)
ShadowTail is named after that instinct: the constant, mostly-successful effort to stay ready for whatever’s coming, even when “whatever’s coming” is a classroom full of kids or a household full of everyone else’s stuff. We build the apps. You handle the acorns.
“Helping people keep their nuts organized.”
Our tagline. Used sparingly, but never far away.
Building something we should know about?
We’re always glad to hear from schools, families, and anyone else with a problem worth solving.