About Clearpath.
A small studio with deep roots in Defense program management and modern software craft.
Who runs Clearpath
Clearpath Digital is a Virginia LLC founded in March 2026 by Stephen Schwedhelm. Before becoming a software developer, Stephen spent years as a Defense Contract Program Manager — running cost, schedule, risk, and subcontractor performance on real DoD programs. He's lived inside earned-value reports, integrated master schedules, monthly status reviews with the PCO, and the late-night scramble before a CDRL submittal.
That background is the studio's edge. Software for Defense small businesses doesn't fail because the code is bad — it fails because the people writing the code don't understand the work.
What we believe
- Domain depth beats template velocity. Anyone can spin up a SaaS dashboard. Few can build one that respects how a Subcontract Administrator actually thinks.
- Ship to production. Every project we take on launches to real users. Demos that never deploy don't count.
- AI-augmented, not AI-replaced. We use modern AI tooling at every step — design, code, review, ops. It lets a small studio do work that used to require a team of ten. It does not replace judgment.
- Fixed price, fixed scope, fixed dates. Hourly billing rewards slowness. We quote in dollars and weeks.
Where we work
Williamsburg, Virginia. Remote-first. Clients across the U.S., with a focus on Mid-Atlantic Defense contractors and the broader GovCon community.
Get in touch
If you have a project, an itch, or a contract you can't manage with spreadsheets anymore: support@clearpathdigital.dev.