MVP meaning
MVP stands for Minimum Viable Product. It's a version of your product that includes only the essential features needed to test the core idea.
Instead of waiting months to perfect a full product, you launch something simple to see if people care at all. This lets you test hypothesis, validate demand, and avoid building something that no one needs.
MVP examples
DoorDash
MVP of DoorDash was a static HTML page with eight restaurant menus in PDF, and a Google Voice number that rang one of the founders. It took just 45 minutes to build and launch.
Reddit's founders created hundreds of fake accounts to post content and comments. The MVP wasn't a product, it was an illusion of activity, designed to attract real users and validate if they are willing to interact.
Amazon
Jeff Bezos started Amazon as a simple online bookstore because books were easy to catalog and ship. When someone placed an order, they'd buy from distributors and ship from Bezos's garage.
Why Start With MVP?
Launch that, get feedback, and then decide what's worth adding next. That's the power of MVP thinking: you validate the problem before scaling the solution.
You can launch in days or weeks instead of months.
Fewer features = less dev time = smaller budget.
If your idea's wrong, you can pivot without sunk cost regret.
You learn what users care about, not what you think they care about.
How to Build an MVP
1. Define the Core Problem
What's the key pain point of users that you want to solve with your product? Nail problem statement that before anything else. It's good idea to start from the one-pager PRD.
2. Define the Minimum Set of Features
Think what's the smallest thing we can build that delivers value. Ideally, it should be 1 simple feature.
3. Build Fast
Use AI prototyping tools like Banani, or vibe coding platforms like Bolt.new to move quickly. Get to the first version in days, not months.
4. Launch Early
Don't wait for "perfect". Get real users on it, even if it's rough. However worth noting – this doesn't mean that you should ship pathetic products. Rather cut everything unnecessary and polish the single most important thing.
5. Iterate Based on Feedback
What's working? What's being ignored? Let the user feedback guide you. Ideally, you should be talking with every single user who signs up and finds your product.
Common MVP Mistakes
Too many features
Simplicity is the goal, not feature parity. Cut everything unnecessary. Stupidly simple example, but when we were launching our product, we didn't have a log-out button.
Fear of launching
Waiting kills momentum. Ship and learn. As Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, famously said: "If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late."
Conclusion
The MVP isn't just a product strategy. It's a philosophy: ship fast, learn fast. Your first version doesn't need to be perfect. It needs to be useful, real, and in the hands of users. Launch scrappy, learn fast, then grow with confidence.
