Video · ~13 min

How to Plan an MVP

Michael Seibel (YC) · Y Combinator (YouTube) Free Beginner

How to Plan an MVP

The single most-cited practical talk on scoping a first product, from the person who ran YC's accelerator. It cuts through the theory and shows what an MVP actually looks like using Airbnb, Twitch, and Stripe.

  • Talk to users before you build anything.
  • Launch something lean in weeks, not months, the goal is to start the feedback loop.
  • Don't try to solve every problem for every user; ship narrow and ugly.
Watch on YouTube ↗

It answers 38 questions

  1. What does 'validating an idea' actually mean?
  2. I want to start a startup but I don't have an idea. Where do I even begin?
  3. What actually counts as an MVP, and what's the smallest one I can get away with?
  4. Which no-code tool should I use to build my first product?
  5. When is my product 'ready' to launch?
  6. How do I decide which features to cut from v1?
  7. How often should an early-stage startup ship?
  8. How long should building an MVP take?
  9. Should I hire an agency or a freelancer to build my MVP?
  10. Should I build an MVP at all, or can I validate without one?
  11. How do product teams keep a consistent shipping rhythm as they grow?
  12. Is no-code cheaper than hiring a developer?

And 26 more across the hub.

Read with it

  1. The single best thing ever written on customer conversations. It teaches you to ask about the customer's life and past... momtestbook.com Book · ~130 pages The Mom Test Rob Fitzpatrick
  2. The permission slip to recruit users by hand, do things manually, and deliver 'insanely great' experiences to your first few... paulgraham.com Essay · ~15 min read Do Things That Don't Scale Paul Graham
  3. Turns the vague feeling of product-market fit into a number you can move. Ask users how they would feel if they could no longer... First Round Review Article · ~20 min read How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product/Market Fit Rahul Vohra
  4. Video · ~25 min How to Talk to Users Eric Migicovsky
  5. Michael Seibel, who ran YC, makes the blunt case for shipping something almost embarrassingly simple and learning from real... Y Combinator Startup Library Video · ~10 min video How to Build an MVP Michael Seibel
  6. Basecamp's battle-tested, opinionated system for shipping meaningful work in fixed cycles without endless backlogs, a primary... Basecamp / 37signals Book · free online book Shape Up: Stop Running in Circles and Ship Work that Matters Ryan Singer
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →