When you’ve built something special, especially in AI or sports tech, you eventually face the challenge of sharing it with the world without giving too much away. For Clippd, a golf performance platform founded by passionate players and coaches, that ‘something’ was a powerful AI engine capable of scoring golf shots with impressive precision. The question was how to let others benefit from it without handing over the keys to the kingdom.
That’s where the SDK came in.
The difference between an SDK and an API
Let’s get one thing out of the way. An SDK, or Software Development Kit, is often confused with an API (Application Programming Interface). The two do overlap, but while an API is like a waiter taking your order and delivering your food from the kitchen, an SDK is more like a recipe kit. It includes not just the ingredients or code but also the instructions, tools and sometimes even the cooking equipment you need to make the meal yourself.
For product teams, especially those looking to scale, SDKs provide a more structured and secure way to enable third parties to use your technology. And they do this without exposing what makes it unique.
A real-world example: Clippd’s AI Shot Quality SDK
Clippd didn’t just want to show off their tech. They wanted others in the industry to use it. The AI models they’d developed could evaluate every golf shot with remarkable accuracy. But exposing the models directly? That was a risk they couldn’t afford.
That’s where we stepped in. At DVT, we helped Clippd build a secure, standalone SDK that gave partners the power of their AI without compromising their IP. The SDK could run on-device, which was critical for offline conditions. It integrated smoothly via CocoaPods and protected core algorithms through encryption and obfuscation. All the value was shared, but the engine room remained locked down.
Why SDKs matter to product teams
Beyond speed and convenience, SDKs deliver on three essential fronts: security, scalability and consistency. You can scale your product’s reach, keep a tight lid on your proprietary tech, and ensure everyone using it gets a consistent experience.
For Clippd, this meant getting their game-changing AI into the hands of partners across the golfing world without fear of reverse engineering or misuse. The SDK acted as a gatekeeper. It unlocked value on the outside while keeping the logic protected.
From spec to PGA Show in weeks
Clippd’s SDK wasn’t a theoretical exercise. It had to be ready for real-world usage and fast. We kicked off with a discovery sprint to nail down the design and requirements. The team then delivered the SDK across three focused development sprints, wrapping just in time for Clippd to demo it at the PGA Show.
Security was non-negotiable. We used Swift 5, SwiftUI, SwiftData and CoreML for the core build. Combine and async/await managed the workflows, while GitHub Actions powered CI/CD. GPG encryption and on-device model execution ensured the AI remained secure, even when deployed on partner devices.
Why SDKs are catching on
This isn’t just a one-off success story. The SDK market is expected to grow from USD 2.23 billion in 2024 to USD 6.08 billion by 2033, according to Business Research Insights. That’s a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 12 per cent. This growth is being driven by the demand for faster delivery cycles, the rise of mobile-first platforms, and the increasing complexity of AI-based features.
We’re also seeing SDKs play a crucial role in the low-code and no-code movement. These platforms rely on SDKs to quietly power a lot of the functionality under the hood. It makes it easier for teams to focus on the front-end without having to rebuild the wheel every time.
Lessons from Clippd
Two things stood out in our work with Clippd. First, sharing doesn’t have to mean exposure. With the right design, encryption, and delivery model, you can offer partners real functionality without compromising your intellectual property. Second, documentation matters. A brilliant SDK is useless if no one knows how to use it. We ensured that Clippd’s SDK was as easy to adopt as it was secure.
And because our relationship with Clippd didn’t stop at the SDK, we also helped them take their entire platform mobile. By wrapping their web-based PWA in React Native, we helped them launch native apps complete with push notifications and in-app purchases. This expanded their reach without requiring them to rebuild everything from scratch.
SDKs are strategic, not just technical
For any tech company thinking about scale, SDKs are a commercial enabler. They let you share what makes your product great without giving away the secret sauce.
At DVT, we’re seeing more companies in various industries realise that SDKs help them grow securely, integrate faster and open new doors to partnership.
Clippd’s story is proof. With the right approach, you can have both reach and control.