Every feature you cut before it's built is free.
An MVP isn't a cheap version of the real product — it's the smallest thing that answers the question you're actually betting on. Our first job is usually to argue your feature list down until it does that, and only that.
What a first version should include
One core workflow that works end to end, for real users, with real data. Everything else is a distraction until that one thing is being used.
- The single workflow your business model depends on, working properly
- Real accounts and permissions — not a demo login
- Payments if money is part of the hypothesis, skipped if it isn't
- Enough analytics to know whether anyone is actually using it
- Deployment that you can ship to without ceremony
- Tests around the paths that would embarrass you if they broke
And what it shouldn't
- An admin panel for a customer base you don't have yet
- Microservices, multi-region, and scale planning for imaginary traffic
- Native mobile apps when a responsive web app tests the same idea
- Six roles and a permissions matrix before you have six users
- A design system for a product whose shape will change in a month
Four to eight weeks
Typical for a focused first version. The variable is almost never engineering speed — it's how fast the scope gets cut.
Handover-ready from day one
Conventional stack, readable code, documented setup. Your first engineer inherits a codebase, not an archaeology project.
We'll tell you not to build it
If existing tools already test your hypothesis, that's the advice you get. Cheaper for you, and we'd rather be the honest referral.
No equity-only builds
We price in cash. We'll discuss a blended rate for the right fit, but we won't pretend a small shop can fund itself on upside.
Not technical, and paying someone else to build it?
Then you're being asked to approve work you can't evaluate — which is how founders end up with a demo that can't be extended. A few paid hours gets you a straight read on the code, the architecture, or the quote in front of you: what's solid, what's a real risk, and which questions to put to your developer next. No obligation to hire us for the fix, and we'll say so plainly if the work is good.
Scope down, build, hand over
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1
Find the bet
What assumption is this version testing? Everything that doesn't serve it goes on a "later" list rather than into the build.
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2
Fixed first slice
A quoted, time-boxed first version so you know the number and the date before you commit any money.
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3
Weekly working demo
Something clickable every week. Direction changes are cheap while the thing is still small.
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4
Ship & hand off
Live, documented, and transferable — to your engineer, another shop, or a retainer with us. Your call, not ours.
Straight answers
How fast can we get an MVP in front of users?
For a focused first version — one core workflow, real logins, real data — typically four to eight weeks. The variable is rarely engineering speed; it is how quickly the feature list can be cut down to what actually tests your assumption.
Will you take equity instead of cash?
We price in cash — we are a small shop and cannot bank on an exit. For the right fit we will talk about a blended rate with a small equity component, but we will not build for equity alone.
What happens when we hire our first engineer?
They inherit something readable: your repo, conventional tooling, tests around the important paths, and a written architecture walkthrough. We would rather hand off cleanly and stay a friendly reference than become a dependency you cannot remove.
Can you review a build somebody else is doing for us?
Yes — a short paid technical review of the code, the architecture, or the quote. Founders paying an offshore team without a technical person in the room ask for this a lot, and it is cheap insurance.
Do you help decide what to build, or just build it?
Both, and we will push back. Every feature you cut before it is built is free. Our job in the first week is usually to argue the scope down to the smallest thing that still answers your question.
What are you actually testing?
Tell us the bet and we'll tell you the smallest thing that settles it — and what that costs.