Scope and product definition
We turn the idea into user stories, a feature list split into “first release” and “later”, and a written scope with acceptance criteria. This is the document the fixed price is based on.
MVP · Prototype · First releaseMVP development
MVP development
for founders who need to ship.
We help founders turn a product idea into a working first version: scoped tightly, built on a stack that can grow, and released to real users. One team covers product scoping, interface design, backend, web or mobile front end, and deployment.
What an MVP engagement coversOne team,
One team,
idea to first release.
A minimum viable product is the smallest version of your product that lets real users complete the core job and lets you learn whether they want it. Our work is to find that smallest version with you, then build it properly.
Interface design
User flows and screen designs for the core journey, reviewed as a clickable prototype before engineering starts. Changing a flow at this stage costs hours, not weeks.
Engineering
Backend, database, authentication, the web or mobile front end, payments and third-party integrations. Built in working increments you can open and test throughout the project.
Launch and handover
Production deployment, App Store or Google Play submission where relevant, basic analytics, and a repository handover with setup and deployment documentation.
Who this is for
Founders with a defined problem and a deadline.
MVP development with BBR tends to fit three situations:
- First-time and non-technical founders who have validated a problem through conversations, a waitlist or a manual service, and now need software to test it at scale.
- Funded early-stage startups that want to reach a first release without spending months recruiting an in-house team first.
- Established businesses testing a new product line where the internal IT team has no spare capacity.
In each case the constraint is the same: limited money and time, and a need to learn from real usage quickly. That constraint should shape every decision, from which features are cut to which technologies are chosen.
What we can build as an MVP
- Web applications and SaaS products with accounts, roles, billing and an admin area
- iOS and Android apps from a single codebase, with a backend and admin panel
- Marketplaces and booking platforms with two user sides
- AI-assisted products built on hosted language models and your own data
- Internal tools and dashboards that replace spreadsheets and manual processes
The processFour stages.
Four stages.
No surprises.
Every stage ends with something you can review: a document, a prototype, or working software on a staging URL.
How we work in detail ↗Discovery · 1–2 weeks
Calls and written questions to understand users, the business model and constraints. Output: prioritised feature list, scope document, technical approach, fixed quote and timeline.
Design · 1–3 weeks
Flows and interface designs for the core journey. You review a clickable prototype and we adjust before the build starts.
Build · 4–12 weeks
Development in short iterations. You get a staging environment early, regular written updates and a demo at each milestone. Payments are tied to those milestones.
Launch · 1–2 weeks
Testing on real devices and browsers, production setup, store submission if needed, and handover of code, accounts and documentation.
Technology approach
Boring where it counts. Flexible where it helps.
An MVP stack has two jobs: get you to launch quickly, and avoid a rewrite if the product works. We default to widely adopted, well-documented technology so that any competent engineer you hire later can pick it up.
| Layer | Typical choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Web front end | React / Next.js, TypeScript | Large hiring pool, good performance and SEO, one language across the stack |
| Mobile | React Native (Expo) or Capacitor | One codebase for iOS and Android; native modules where needed |
| Backend | Node.js, PostgreSQL | Proven, inexpensive to host, scales well past MVP stage |
| Auth, storage, push | Managed services (e.g. Supabase, Firebase) | Weeks of undifferentiated work avoided |
| Payments | Stripe, or store billing for apps | Handles tax, invoices and subscription logic |
| Hosting | Your own cloud or VPS account | You hold the keys from day one |
We do not force this list. If your team already runs on a particular stack, or the product has unusual requirements, the choice follows the product. The reasoning is covered in our guide to choosing an MVP tech stack.
Pricing and timeline factors
What actually moves the cost.
Two MVPs described in the same sentence can differ in cost by a factor of three. The differences come from a short list of drivers:
- Number of user roles. A customer app plus a provider app plus an admin panel is three products sharing a backend.
- Platforms. Web only, mobile only, or both. Cross-platform mobile development narrows the gap but does not close it.
- Integrations. Payments, maps, messaging, identity verification, third-party APIs. Each has its own edge cases.
- Real-time and offline behaviour. Chat, live tracking and offline sync are disproportionately expensive.
- Design ambition. A clean, standard interface is much cheaper than custom illustration and animation.
- Regulated data. Health, financial or children’s data adds compliance work that cannot be skipped.
We quote a fixed price against a written scope, with payments split across milestones. If you change the scope mid-project we price the change before doing it. For worked examples and ranges see MVP development cost: what founders should expect.
Common mistakes
Where MVPs go wrong.
Building version two first
The most expensive MVP mistake is including everything the finished product will eventually need. If a feature does not help a user complete the core job or help you measure whether they did, it belongs in the “later” column.
Skipping the written scope
“We’ll figure it out as we go” sounds agile and ends in a disputed invoice. A scope document with acceptance criteria protects both sides and makes a fixed price possible.
Optimising for scale you do not have
Microservices, multi-region infrastructure and elaborate caching solve problems an MVP will be lucky to have. A well-structured monolith on a single database serves most products far beyond their first thousand customers.
Choosing the cheapest quote
A quote that is half the others usually omits something: testing, deployment, design, or the second half of the feature list. Compare scopes line by line, not totals. Our guide on choosing an MVP development company includes a comparison checklist.
No plan for after launch
Launch is when the learning starts. Keep budget for at least two or three months of iteration, otherwise the first round of user feedback has nowhere to go.
FitWhen BBR is the right team,
Good fit Not a fit
When BBR is the right team,
and when it is not.
We are a small, senior, independent studio. That is an advantage for some projects and the wrong shape for others, and it is better to say so up front.
We are likely a strong match if
- You want one accountable team for design, backend, front end and release
- You prefer a fixed scope and price over open-ended hourly billing
- You are comfortable working remotely in English with written updates and scheduled calls
- You want to own the code and infrastructure from the first day
- Your first release fits in roughly two to four months of build time
We will probably point you elsewhere if
- You need a team on-site in your office
- You need ten or more engineers immediately
- The product requires certified medical-device, avionics or similar safety-critical engineering
- You are looking for equity-only or deferred-payment development
- There is no defined problem yet; a no-code test or customer interviews will serve you better first
Why outsource an MVP
Hiring a team is a project of its own.
Recruiting a product designer, a backend engineer and a front-end or mobile engineer takes months, and an early-stage company then has to manage them, retain them and keep them busy between releases. For a first version with an uncertain future that is often the wrong order of operations.
Working with a studio converts that fixed cost into a project cost. You get a complete team for the period you need it, and if the MVP proves the business you hire in-house with evidence and revenue behind you. We compare the options honestly in in-house vs outsourced development and agency vs freelancer.
We build and publish our own products as well as client work. Grow.io, an arcade game for Android, and Live Gold & Silver Prices, a market-data app, were both designed, built and released on Google Play by BBR. The case studies describe the engineering decisions behind them.
QuestionsFrequently asked
Frequently asked
questions.
How long does it take to build an MVP?
Most first releases we would scope land between 6 and 16 weeks of build time, depending on the number of user roles, integrations and platforms. A single-platform product with one core workflow sits at the short end; a two-sided marketplace or a product with iOS, Android and a web admin sits at the long end. We cover the drivers in detail in our MVP timeline guide.
How much does MVP development cost?
It depends on scope far more than on technology. We quote a fixed price against a written scope after a short discovery, so you know the number before committing. Our MVP cost guide explains what moves the price and how to estimate a range yourself.
Who owns the source code and IP?
You do. Ownership of the code and deliverables transfers to you under the project contract, and the repository is handed over with build and deployment instructions. Third-party and open-source components stay under their own licences, which we list.
Can you sign an NDA before we share the idea?
Yes. A mutual NDA before detailed discussions is normal and we are happy to sign yours or provide one.
I am a non-technical founder. Can I still work with you?
Yes. Many MVP projects start without a CTO. We explain technical decisions in plain language, document them, and set the project up so that a future technical hire or another team can take it over. See our guide on building an MVP without a technical co-founder.
What happens after the MVP launches?
You receive the code, infrastructure access and documentation. From there you can continue with us on a monthly iteration plan, move development in-house, or pause. There is no lock-in.
Your next moveHave an MVP in mind?
Have an MVP in mind?
Let’s scope it.
Send a few paragraphs about the product, who it is for and your timeline. We reply with questions, a suggested first-release scope and a realistic range.
Discuss your MVP ↗