Minimum Viable Product
MVP
The simplest version of a product that delivers enough value to acquire early customers and generate learning.
Definition
A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is the simplest version of a product that can be released to real users to test a core hypothesis, generate validated learning, and begin building a customer base. The term was popularized by Eric Ries in The Lean Startup. An MVP is not a beta or a buggy product — it is a deliberate decision about which features are truly necessary to test the most important assumption in your business.
Why It Matters
Building too much before testing with real users is one of the most common ways founders waste time and money. The MVP discipline forces prioritization: what is the smallest thing we can build to learn whether this works? Airbnb's MVP was a simple website with photos — no booking system, no payments, just a way to test if anyone wanted to stay in strangers' homes.