Shortkit

SDK and infrastructure platform for building TikTok-grade short-form video feeds in consumer apps.

Overview

Shortkit is a comprehensive short-form video platform that enables consumer apps and publishers to launch vertical video experiences without building their own video infrastructure. Founded by Michael Seleman (formerly 6 years at YouTube building Shorts infrastructure) and Neil Bhammar, the platform provides managed SDKs, enterprise-grade video infrastructure, and monetization tools optimized specifically for short-form content.

The platform handles the full media stack including client SDKs for iOS, Android, React, and Web; automatic transcoding with adaptive bitrate delivery; serverless auto-scaling infrastructure; and built-in analytics. It's designed for companies like media publishers (NYT, ESPN, CNN) and consumer platforms (DoorDash, Glassdoor, TripAdvisor) that want to own first-party video experiences without the complexity of building video systems from scratch.

Key features

Drop-in SDKs for iOS, Android, React, Web
Automatic transcoding with adaptive bitrate HLS
Global CDN delivery with chunked transfer encoding
ML-driven buffer management and pre-fetching
Feed-aware player mechanics optimized for swiping
Native ad integration and monetization
Engagement analytics (plays, swipes, completions, rebuffer rates)
AI captioning in 50+ languages
Content submission and auto-moderation
REST APIs and CMS integrations

Pros

Purpose-built for short-form video at scale
Serverless infrastructure with automatic scaling
Optimized codec selection reduces bandwidth 2-3x
Zero dependencies for iOS SDK
Handles long-tail network conditions (mobile data)
Built-in monetization without rebuilding ad pipeline
Comprehensive analytics on viewer behavior

Cons

Limited documentation visible in evidence
Pricing not publicly available
Requires booking demo to get started
Early-stage company (founded 2026, 2 employees)

Use this if

You need a managed short-form video platform with built-in infrastructure, monetization, and analytics. You want to launch vertical video feeds without building your own video engineering team.

Skip this if

You need open-source video infrastructure or self-hosted solutions. You're building long-form video experiences. You require transparent public pricing before contacting sales.

Best for

Media companies wanting to launch vertical video feedsConsumer apps building first-party video experiencesPublishers monetizing short-form contentTeams without dedicated video engineering resourcesApps targeting mobile-first audiences