MVP

/ɛm viː piː/ · Abbreviation · Startup & VC · Origin: 2001

Definitions

  1. MVP, or Minimum Viable Product, is the simplest version of a product that can be released to early adopters to validate core assumptions and gather real user feedback with minimal development effort. Popularized by Eric Ries in The Lean Startup, the MVP philosophy emphasizes learning over building: rather than spending months perfecting a fully featured product that might not meet market needs, teams ship the smallest thing that tests their most critical hypothesis. An MVP might be a landing page measuring signup interest, a manual process disguised as software (Wizard of Oz MVP), or a stripped-down application with only the essential feature. The goal is to enter the build-measure-learn feedback loop as quickly as possible. Common mistakes include making the MVP too minimal (unusable and unrepresentative) or too feature-rich (defeating the purpose). The approach is widely used in startup culture and product management, though it can conflict with brand-conscious organizations concerned about launching unpolished products.

    In plain English: The simplest possible version of a product that still works well enough to get feedback from real users — build just enough to learn if your idea has legs.

    Example: "Our MVP has 47 features, a design system, and SSO. I don't think you understand what minimum means."

Etymology

2001
Frank Robinson coins 'minimum viable product' while consulting for SyncDev, defining it as the product with maximum ROI relative to risk
2009
Eric Ries popularizes MVP through the Lean Startup methodology, making it the default vocabulary for startup product development
2015
Backlash emerges: critics argue MVPs have become excuses for shipping broken products, spawning alternatives like MLP (Minimum Lovable Product)

Origin Story

The lean startup's most misunderstood concept

Frank Robinson coined 'minimum viable product' in 2001, but it was Eric Ries who made it famous in *The Lean Startup* (2011). The idea: build the smallest possible version of your product that lets you test your core hypothesis with real users.

Ries was influenced by Steve Blank's customer development methodology and Toyota's lean manufacturing principles. The MVP concept was revolutionary because it challenged the prevailing wisdom of shipping complete, polished products. Instead, Ries argued, ship something embarrassingly small and learn from real usage.

The term has been widely misunderstood. Ries intended MVP as a learning tool — the 'viable' part means it must actually work and provide value. But many teams interpret MVP as 'the crappiest thing we can ship,' leading to products that teach nothing because users abandon them immediately.

Coined by: Frank Robinson (coined), Eric Ries (popularized)

Context: The Lean Startup, 2011

Fun fact: Reid Hoffman's variant — 'If you're not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late' — is often misattributed to the MVP concept itself.

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