From zero code to five apps
Maribel is a mother of two daughters from Salt Lake City, Utah — with no prior coding background. She discovered that AI-assisted development could lower the barrier to building real software, and never looked back. Her first app, TheShieldedPath, was born from a mother’s instinct to protect children online — currently under Apple App Store review. No grant. No agency. Just a mom who decided it needed to exist.
Building TheShieldedPath sparked something. Maribel learned Figma, mobile design systems, and began systematically addressing the disconnects she saw around her. Closeby and LaunchPad were inspired by her nieces and nephews — young adults navigating loneliness and adulthood with no real toolkit. The Grove came from watching neighbors struggle with HOA chaos. WithMe Pet came from the universal grief of losing a fur family member — and the wish to keep them close, always.
In under two years, Maribel built five distinct mobile applications spanning child safety, mental wellness, community infrastructure, financial literacy, and grief tech — all under CircleRootTech LLC. Zero outside funding. Five market verticals. One clear vision.
CircleRootTech is not a single-app company. It is a platform of purpose-driven products built for the moments that matter most — protecting a child, comforting a grieving pet owner, helping a young adult find their footing, or bringing a neighborhood together. Maribel’s mission is simple: a better world of connection, safety, understanding, and compassion. She’s already building it — one app at a time.