In the early days of a startup, it’s tempting to jump straight into building the product – after all, founders are often driven by a vision they’re eager to see come to life. However, launching into technical development too soon can result in wasted time, resources, and a product that no one wants. So, the question arises: When should a startup begin the technical work of building its Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?

In this blog, we’ll explore the right timing to begin technical development, how the MVP fits into the Customer Development process, and why starting too early can derail your startup.

What is an MVP, and Why Does it Matter?

Before jumping into timing, let’s clarify what an MVP is.

A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is the simplest, functional version of your product that allows you to test your business assumptions with real users. It’s not a finished product – it’s a tool to validate (or invalidate) your key hypotheses and gather customer feedback as quickly and cheaply as possible.

The MVP concept, popularized by Eric Ries’ Lean Startup methodology, forces founders to focus on learning rather than perfecting features.

An MVP answers questions like:

• Does this product solve a real problem?
• Will customers use or pay for it?
• What features matter most?

When Should Startups Start Building the MVP?

The short answer: Start building the MVP during the Customer Discovery phase—but only after you’ve validated key hypotheses.

Let’s break this down using Steve Blank’s Customer Development framework.

1. Start with Hypotheses, Not Code

At the beginning of your startup journey, your ideas about your product, customers, and market are just guesses.

In the Customer Discovery phase:

• You identify the problem you’re solving, your target customers, and how your solution might address their needs.
• Instead of writing code, you engage in customer interviews to test your assumptions and refine your understanding of the problem.

At this stage, your focus should be on learning:

• Do customers care about this problem?

• Is the problem painful enough that they’d pay for a solution?

If you skip this step and start building too soon, you risk spending months developing a product that no one wants.

“There are no facts inside the building, so get outside.” — Steve Blank

2. Build the MVP to Test, Not to Scale

Once you’ve validated the problem and understand your customer’s needs, it’s time to build the MVP.

The MVP is not the final product. It’s a prototype or a basic version that helps you answer the following questions:

• Does the product solve the identified problem?

• Will customers use it or pay for it?

At this point:

• Keep it simple: Focus on the core features that deliver value and test your riskiest assumptions.

• Iterate rapidly: Use agile development methods to build, test, learn, and refine based on customer feedback.

• Prioritize speed over perfection.

For example, if you’re building a fitness app, don’t spend six months perfecting every feature. Start with one feature—like tracking daily workouts—and test whether busy professionals find it valuable.