MVP development that survives first contact with users.

A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is the smallest version of your product that tests your core assumption with real users. It is production software that runs on real infrastructure, handles real users, and generates real data. At RaftLabs, every MVP engagement starts by defining the one assumption the build must validate - everything else is deferred to a later sprint.

The timeframe depends on scope and complexity. At RaftLabs, our lean process is designed to launch your web, mobile, or AI MVP within 8-14 weeks. We scope only what's needed to test your core assumption, which is how we avoid the 6-18 month timelines common elsewhere.

A prototype is a clickable simulation - it shows how a product looks and flows, but doesn't run on real infrastructure or handle real users. An MVP is production software that does. RaftLabs builds both. Which you need depends on your current goal: investor validation before committing to a build (prototype) or user validation with working software (MVP).

Our MVP development starts at $10,000 for a basic version with 1-2 core features, a simple design, and a clearly defined scope and timeline. More complex products with AI, multi-platform delivery, or advanced integrations run $25,000 to $75,000. We provide fixed-cost proposals after a scoping session, not hourly estimates that shift as scope changes.

For early-stage founders, MVP development needs to account for limited runway, fast iteration, and the need to prove a business model, not just ship features. Our startup-focused MVP development services include fixed-cost engagements, milestone-based payment, 8-week post-launch support, and scoping that forces the right decisions early. We've helped founders who came to us after spending $80K elsewhere with nothing to show for it.

The most common mistakes: building too many features before validating the core assumption, skipping real-user testing, starting development before the scope is defined in writing, and choosing a tech stack optimized for scale before you have a single paying user. RaftLabs runs a structured scoping session before every build specifically to surface and resolve these decisions before a line of code is written.

The MoSCoW method categorizes features by priority: Must Have (critical for the MVP to function), Should Have (important but not launch-blocking), Could Have (desirable but deferrable), and Won't Have (out of scope for this build). We use a version of this in every scoping session to separate what needs to be in the first release from what can wait.

Yes, with scope discipline. The two biggest cost levers are feature scope and technology choice. A Flutter cross-platform build costs significantly less than native iOS + Android. A well-scoped single-feature MVP at $10,000-$20,000 tests your core assumption faster than a $60,000 full-featured product. RaftLabs' scoping session identifies the minimum build that produces real answers - so budget goes toward validation, not features that may never matter.

An MVP is scoped to test one core assumption with the minimum features required. Full product development builds out the complete feature set. The right approach depends on your certainty. If you know your users, have validated demand, and have funding, full product development makes sense. If you're testing whether people want the product at all, start with the MVP. Most of our clients start with an MVP and move to full product development once the market signals are clear.

Yes, we sign an NDA before beginning any project to safeguard your idea. This ensures your concept remains confidential as we scope and build your MVP.

Frontend: React, Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS. Backend: Node.js, NestJS, PostgreSQL, Hasura, GraphQL. Mobile: Flutter for cross-platform, Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android. AI: Python, AWS Bedrock, OpenAI, Anthropic APIs. Infrastructure: AWS, Firebase, Vercel. The stack for your project is chosen based on your users, your team, and what the product needs to do at scale.

Yes. You own the code, the repository, and all third-party service accounts from day one. There is no platform lock-in to RaftLabs infrastructure after launch. On the final day of the project, we transfer the codebase to your version control organization, all credentials to your accounts, and all subscriptions to your ownership.

A scope change is a change request: we scope it, price it, and add it only if you approve. It does not absorb into the project and appear on the final invoice. This is how we keep the price fixed. In practice, small clarifications that do not change the feature set are handled as part of the sprint. Changes that add new features or alter the architecture are priced separately before work begins.

Eight weeks of post-launch support is included in every project at no extra cost. This covers bug fixes for issues that emerge in production, performance tuning based on monitoring data, and minor UX adjustments from early user feedback. Support is via a dedicated Slack channel with a 4-hour response time during business hours and same-day response for production-down incidents.