An iPhone and Mac studio inside DockPlus AI
Carvalho Karsten is the app branch of DockPlus AI. It does three things: it builds native apps for iPhone and Mac, it publishes apps on the App Store and it maintains them after launch.
The studio works only with Apple’s own tools, Swift and SwiftUI. It does not build Android or web apps. That focus means one team knows Apple’s platforms, review rules and yearly iOS changes in depth.
The two partners
Thiago Do Carmo, CEO. Thiago has lived on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, for 21 years. He runs six companies, including DockPlus AI. He is the point of contact for clients in the United States.
Gustavo Henrique Karsten, CTO. Gustavo is an engineer with more than 20 years in technology. He leads the architecture and the code of every Carvalho Karsten app.
The name joins the Carvalho and Karsten families.
Where the team works
The team works remotely from Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil. Brazil’s time zone (BRT, UTC−3) is 1 to 2 hours ahead of US Eastern Time, so your workday and the team’s overlap.
| Brazil | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | Canelinha, SC | 207 Iyannough Rd, Hyannis, MA 02601 |
| Phone | WhatsApp +55 48 99852-3634 | +1 774-207-7924 |
| contact@carvalhokarsten.app | contact@carvalhokarsten.app |
You can work with the team in English, Portuguese or Spanish. Meetings run by video call, and US phone calls go to the Hyannis line, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Clients in Boston, Cape Cod and the rest of New England can read the page for app developers in Massachusetts.
Selected in-house apps
These are some of the apps Carvalho Karsten has built in Swift and SwiftUI. Devbelt, a set of offline tools for developers, has passed Apple’s App Store review and will be on sale soon. Others include Limpador, WhereIsMyRAM, NoteAssistant and Adega.
Client apps follow the same path as Devbelt: native code, testing on real devices and Apple’s review.
What Carvalho Karsten offers
- iPhone and Mac app development. From the first version to the App Store. See iOS and Mac app development.
- App Store publishing. Developer account, TestFlight, store listing and Apple’s review, including apps made with Lovable, Cursor, Rork or Bolt. See App Store publishing.
- Maintenance. Bug fixes and updates for each new iOS version.
Each project starts with a project review and a written proposal. The how Carvalho Karsten works page explains every step.
Why the studio builds only in Swift
Swift and SwiftUI are the tools Apple uses for its own apps. Apple releases new features in them first, such as widgets, Live Activities and new Apple Watch capabilities. A studio that works only in Swift spends its time on those platforms and on Apple’s review rules.
This choice has a cost for some clients. If you need an Android app at launch, Carvalho Karsten is not the right team. The native vs cross-platform guide explains when React Native or Flutter fits better.
What working with the studio looks like
You talk directly with the people who build your app. The CTO joins the project review and leads the code. You follow progress on your own iPhone or Mac through TestFlight, Apple’s app for test versions.
The app goes out on your Apple Developer account, and you keep the source code. If the scope changes during development, you receive a new estimate before any extra work starts.
How prices are set
Carvalho Karsten prices each app after the project review. The review lists the development stages, integrations and changes the app needs.
As a market reference, a native iPhone MVP from a US-market studio usually costs $50,000 to $100,000. In the market, a first version usually takes 3 to 4 months. The app development cost guide explains the details.
Talk to the team
Send a short description of your app or the problem you need solved. The reply brings the next steps and the date of your project review.