In the world of startups, the term MVP (Minimum viable product) is everywhere. It is supposed to represent the starting point of a product. In reality, it is often misunderstood. Too many founders talk about MVP when they have neither users, delivered value, nor real return of the market.
The keyword, the one that determines everything, is Viable. And it is precisely the one who is most ignored.
A MVP only exists if it is used
A MVP is a product used by real people who draw a concrete value. It is a tool that is used for something. Without active users, it is neither viable nor a product.
A MVP is not:
- A landing page with an email form,
- An interactive prototype in FIGMA,
- an online demo to investors,
- A model that no customer has never seen.
It is a product, as incomplete as it is, which solves a problem for someone.
“Viable” means that someone uses it … and still uses it
Creating an account does not mean using a product. Testing once is not getting involved. Having visitors does not mean having users.
Viable Means:
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- that a user returns,
- that he derives a clear benefit,
- that it would hardly replace the product.
If these three conditions are not met, the product is not viable. It is only “during the test”.
An MVP without perceived value is not a MVP. It is a technical artifact without anchoring in reality.
MVP is not made to raise funds
The current drift is clear: many young founders build a MVP to attract investors. They think produces as a storytelling support. They work to make “presentable” which should first be “useful”.
However, the purpose of the MVP is not to convince a jury, an incubator or a fund. It is to test a ability to deliver value. This test is not done through a deck. It is done on the ground.
Use your own product: a fundamental criterion
When possible, the founder must be a user of his own tool. If you are in the target, and you do not use your solution, it is a product of failed product.
Many projects never pass this test:
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- too complex,
- too generic,
- Not anchored enough in a real need.
If you don’t use it, no one will do it.
MVP confusion = prototype blocks the execution
A prototype is a technical test. A MVP is a market test. One watch which could work. The other proves that something is already working.
The consequences of this confusion:
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- false confidence in the maturity of the project,
- Survaluation of weak signals (clicks, likes, comments),
- Obsession for form (design, positioning) to the detriment of use.
A MVP can be ugly, slow, incomplete. He simply has to operate for someone now.
Growth never precedes value
Trying to grow before having validated viability is shooting yourself in the foot:
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- acquisition campaigns fail,
- The retention is zero,
- The team runs out to “work for nothing”.
The correct sequence is simple:
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- Create something useful.
- Observe its use.
- Confirm the value created.
- Grow.
Everything else is staging.
Do not make up the absence of traction
Many founders invent a MVP. They thus baptize him to convince themselves that they are advancing. But there is no use or feedback. Just an empty platform or promises of use. It creates a false progression signalwhich masks the need to review the approach.
This lie is dangerous:
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- He delays pivots,
- It weakens the posture in the face of investors,
- It disconnects the product of reality.
A MVP is not a “complete” product but a “useful” product
A MVP should not do everything. He must do a useful thing.
He must not seduce everyone. He owes satisfy a precise segment.
It should not be perfect. He owes function.
It’s a minimum version and sufficient To create a tangible impact.
Morality: the V is non-negotiable
Every MVP begins with a simple act: solving a real problem for a real person.
This is what a founder must be attached.
The “minimum” can vary. “Product” can adjust. But the “viable”, him, is not negotiated.
Without viability, there is no product.
Without a product, there is no startup.
