MVPs for startups

MVP development that proves the idea in weeks.

An idea and no product is a normal place to start. We cut the scope to the single flow that tests whether anyone wants it, ship that to real users in four to eight weeks, and build it so the next version is an extension rather than a rewrite.

What we build

The scope is the product decision. Everything else is typing.

Most first products fail for one of two reasons: they took a year to build and the market moved, or they launched with nine features and none of them good enough to judge. Both are scoping failures. The hard, valuable conversation at the start of an MVP is about what to leave out.

One flow, done properly

We look for the single path through your product that tests the actual bet — the one where, if users complete it and come back, you have learned something real. That flow gets built to a standard you would be happy to charge for. Everything adjacent to it gets stubbed, deferred, or done by hand behind the scenes until volume justifies automating it.

Four to eight weeks, and you see it weekly

Week one is scope and design. From week two there is a demo you can click every week, on a staging URL you can send to anyone. The first release is a fixed price agreed before we start, so the budget conversation happens once, at the beginning, when it is still a decision rather than an invoice.

Built to grow, not to be thrown away

There is a version of "move fast" that leaves you with a prototype you cannot build on, which is a bill you pay later with interest. We keep it boring and conventional instead: a standard stack, a real database with sensible schema, authentication done properly, and a deployment pipeline from day one. It is barely slower and it means version two extends the code rather than replacing it.

What we tell founders honestly

Sometimes the right answer is that you do not need an MVP yet — a landing page and ten conversations will tell you more, for less. We would rather say that than take the money. And if you are pre-funding, we will say plainly what can and cannot be built for the budget you have, before you spend any of it.

What you get

  • Scope cut to the one flow that proves the idea
  • A live product real users can try, not a clickable prototype
  • Weekly demos, and a fixed price on the first release
  • Source in your repository from day one, built to grow
  • Auth, payments and a real database done properly, not faked
  • A deployment pipeline, so shipping version two costs nothing extra

Stack we use

  • React
  • Next.js
  • TypeScript
  • Supabase
  • PostgreSQL
  • Stripe
  • Vercel
  • Tailwind

How it runs

Eight weeks, three phases.

The first one is where the money is saved.

01

Cut the scope

A week on what the product must prove and the shortest path to proving it. Output: a scope, a design direction and a fixed price.

02

Build in the open

Weekly demos on a staging URL you can share. You use the thing while it is being built, so it changes while changing is cheap.

03

Launch and learn

Live to real users with analytics on the one flow that matters, so the next release is decided by behaviour rather than opinion.

Questions

MVP development, answered.

How much does an MVP cost?

We quote a fixed price for the first release after a scoping week, so you approve a number before anything is built. The honest driver of that number is how many flows you insist on keeping — which is exactly what the scoping week is for.

How long until we can put it in front of users?

Four to eight weeks for most products. Anything we estimate beyond that is normally two releases wearing one name, and we will propose splitting it rather than quietly running long.

Do we need a designer first?

No. We design as part of the build, working from your references and the flow itself. If you already have a designer or a design system, we build to it.

Will the MVP have to be rebuilt when we grow?

Not if it is built conventionally, which is the point. Standard stack, a real schema, proper auth, a deploy pipeline. We have never had a client need a ground-up rewrite of something we scoped this way; what they need is more of it.

Can you work with a technical co-founder or an in-house developer?

Yes, and it is a good arrangement. We work in your repository with normal pull requests and reviews, so your developer is inside the work rather than receiving it at the end. Plenty of engagements end with us handing the codebase over entirely.

Do you take equity instead of fees?

No. We are a software studio, not an investor, and an equity deal makes us a stakeholder in decisions we should be advising on rather than owning. Fixed-price releases keep the incentives clean.

Got an idea and no product?
Let’s build the first version.