MVP Development is a way to minimize the risks associated with a business venture. MVP companies typically engage in a process that involves intensive market analysis, studying the target audience, and evaluating competitors. Partnering with an MVP development company can make this journey smoother.
However, even this level of research cannot guarantee the success of the business.
That is why introducing an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) can be a great way to move closer to your ultimate goal. MVP companies often see significant benefits from this approach.
What Is MVP?
MVP development refers to the process of building a product with only essential features to test market viability. The MVP approach is a great tool for startups and entrepreneurs who prefer to use no-code development platforms rather than hire the best web developers. Many of the world’s biggest and most successful MVP development companies have utilized MVP development as the basis of their business.
To execute this strategy effectively, hiring an MVP development company can be beneficial. MVP development companies have the expertise to guide startups through the MVP development process, ensuring that their product meets market needs.
Some of the Biggest Companies that Started With an MVP
- Apple
- Amazon
- PayPal
1. Buffer
Buffer is an extremely beneficial and widely used platform that is incredibly popular among bloggers, businesses, and other enthusiastic users who post content online frequently.
Today, Buffer is known as a platform that allows users to schedule their posts on the majority of popular social networks. But what was its initial state? It was an evening in London when the concept of Buffer began being developed. Its creator had the challenge of optimizing his Twitter posts when he decided to share news about startups and tech. People began to show their admiration for his posts, which led him to search for a way to streamline them.
MVP companies like Buffer start small but have the potential to grow significantly. By choosing the right MVP development company, startups like Buffer ensure they have expert guidance in building and scaling their product.
After just four days, the first user had already adopted this new service of pre-scheduling Twitter posts. Due to the continuous success since then, thousands of people from all around the world use Buffer, or any of its alternatives, to increase their performance on different social networks such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
Therefore, the story of this successful business is a strong demonstration of the power of MVP development.
2. Zappos
What makes the story of Zappos truly remarkable and inspirational is its history. It all began with an issue that Zappos’ creator, Nick Swinmurn, faced: it was hard for him to find that perfect pair of shoes at the mall.
His thought was, “Why don’t I create an online store large enough so that everyone can find that ideal shoe, even for the most demanding taste?” Thus, Zappos was born… albeit first as an MVP development experiment.
In the early stages, Nick knew it would be illogical to dump thousands of bucks into an idea that hasn’t been tested. Instead of investing heavily, he worked with an MVP development company to build a basic prototype. The MVP cost of setting up such a business contained:
- Paying Shopify experts or web developers, or those who can convert Shopify to WooCommerce;
- Product registration;
- Renting a warehouse;
- Equipment;
- Employee salaries;
- Establishing a connection with suppliers.
Nick chose to build the MVP: a website, uploaded pictures and item descriptions and waited. Before long, orders were streaming in. After that, he purchased the goods from a retail provider and sent them to buyers.
When hundreds of shoes, boots, as well as sandals were sold, Nick and his associate Tony Shane were presented with the opportunity to purchase directly from suppliers in bulk. This allowed them to expand their selection on the website and to scale the MVP into a successful company.
MVP development companies like Zappos often start with a simple concept and grow through strategic scaling.
And to be considered an outright success, the organization was bought by Amazon for $1.2 billion.
3. Foursquare
FFoursquare is now the go-to app for millions of users to find restaurants, hotels, or shops when in an unfamiliar area. MVP development companies like Foursquare often start as an MVP and evolve significantly.
In 2009, Dennis Crowley and Naveen Selvadurai launched the first version of Foursquare, an MVP app development company initiative focused on location-sharing. It had two unique features that helped it become a success:
- Gamification. Foursquare users were rewarded with coins and badges upon completion of tasks, and could even gain titles and compete for a spot on the leaderboard.
- Data privacy. Attention was paid to the protection of Foursquare users’ data, making the app safe and trustworthy.
The first version of Foursquare was well-received by users, and after seeing its success the developers began incorporating other features, leading to what we know today.
4. Aardvark
Sometimes, we are left feeling baffled by questions like: “Who was the actor who appeared in The Dressmaker?” or “What book should I read next after Pride and Prejudice?”
Google might have AI algorithms designed to predict search engine inquiries, but some things are still best looked up by real people.
This is where Aardvark comes in. A successful service that ended up being acquired by Google in 2010 for a $50 million price tag, it originally began as an MVP. MVP companies like Aardvark often start with a basic concept and scale after proving their value.
Mechanical Zoo established Aardvark in 2008, with the goal of linking individuals who had questions with those who could provide answers. In the beginning, all requests were managed manually.
Only after proving the value of Aardvark, getting user feedback, and giving the product a spin did the creators move ahead with automating functions and investing money and other resources into the product. MVP development companies like Aardvark often start with a basic concept and scale after proving their value.
The MVP approach helped the founders test the concept without making heavy financial commitments. By engaging with an experienced MVP development company, they were able to validate their business model before scaling.
5. Glovo
Glovo is an incredibly popular food delivery business that serves as a go-between the customer and the courier. This amazing service enables users to procure items from a single package of butter to a full family holiday dinner in almost no time.
Featuring lightning-fast delivery, competitive prices, pleasant employees, and specials and discounts, it’s no surprise Glovo has caught the attention of customers from around the world.
Initially, Glovo used MVP development services to focus on a single large customer segment. As the user base grew, top MVP development companies helped Glovo refine its strategy by segmenting users and personalizing offers.
When Glovo was first established, it aimed its discounts and services at one large group without segmenting them. As the user base grew astronomically, Glovo Engineering recognised the need to try MVP development for segmentation.
MVP companies like Glovo often start with a basic concept and scale after proving their value.
To reach this goal, Glovo opted to begin with three segments: new customers who have yet to make an order, people who order frequently, and those who placed an order or multiple orders and then quit.
The algorithms worked perfectly, giving accurate results and making it easier to compare ROI. This success encouraged the team to expand their MVP into hundreds of segments, eventually transforming it into a successful full-fledged solution.
6. Twitter
Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, Evan Williams, and Noah Glass are the ones behind the founding of Twitter. MVP companies like Twitter often begin with a simple idea and grow significantly over time. Many development companies for startups follow a similar trajectory when launching new products.
Initially, three friends had a shared idea and a vision. Now they have grown into an organization with a total of 4,000 employees across the world. Despite their lack of financial means and resources to kickstart a full-fledged product from the outset, the founders decided to create an MVP development first. This approach, which is widely recommended by top MVP development companies, allowed them to test the waters before scaling.
7. Instagram
When Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger began, they had a simple thought: to create a location-based service known as Burbn. MVP development companies like Instagram demonstrate how starting with MVP development can lead to massive growth and success.
They started with MVP development and it paid off, bringing Instagram to 700 million users and 1 billion photos shared daily. This example proves that an MVP is an extraordinary way to commence your startup trends expediently and inexpensively. With the help of a software development company, Instagram was able to scale quickly.
8. YouTube
YouTube is a successful business that experienced success due to MVP devYouTube is a successful business that experienced success due to MVP development. When Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim had the idea for an online video-sharing platform in 2005, they started with an MVP development process and shared it with friends. From there, they continued to refine the product with insights from an MVP app development company.
The power of the MVP development process was an invaluable factor in YouTube’s success, as it gave the founders the ability to receive feedback from users early on.
This feedback helped them to:
- Understand what people wanted in a video-sharing website;
- Create an even better product.
The MVP model is also extremely useful when introducing new features to a product or service, providing the opportunity to test them before launching them to the market.
9. Dropbox
Founded in 2007 by American computer programmer Drew Houston and finally launched in 2008, Dropbox is an immensely popular cloud storage service with more than 400 million users worldwide.
When designing a product for the “Designing Innovation” class he was taking at MIT, Houston came up with the concept of Dropbox as a way to easily and securely share large files over the Internet. Utilizing Python and Django, the two popular programming languages used by developers, the entrepreneur developed a basic MVP to assess the response of his concept through interviews with family and friends.
MVP companies like Dropbox show how starting with a basic MVP can lead to widespread success and millions of users worldwide. With the help of an MVP development company, Dropbox was able to refine its solution based on market demand.
10. Airbnb
Established in August 2008 by Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, Airbnb is a renowned online lodging marketplace and hospitality service. Operating in a staggering 34,000 cities and 192 countries, the business has seen a tremendous amount of growth over the years.
MVP companies like Airbnb illustrate how starting with MVP development can lead to extensive growth and success in a global market. The idea of renting out their spare rooms to travelers had been conjured up by the Airbnb founders, prompting them to put together a website wherein they could advertise their listings.
It soon became evident that they had more customers than their rooms could handle, which led them to expand their offerings. Now, anybody is able to rent out their places of residence in any city or country. Thanks to custom software development, Airbnb was able to scale efficiently.
Final Thoughts
If you are striving to get your business off the ground and make it a success, MVP development is the way forward. It allows you to test out your product or service before launching, striving to make sure it meets your customers’ needs. Working with a top MVP development company ensures that you have the technical expertise required to execute your vision effectively.
It is worth noting that there have been thousands of solutions in the world that have remained as minimum viable products and failed to become successful businesses. Nevertheless, these MVPs have managed to save developers thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of work.
Subsequently, MVP development services have also enabled testing on the ground before the official launch and improvement of some services. Many development companies for startups rely on agile methodologies to refine their MVPs based on user feedback.
When choosing a software development company, it’s crucial to look for one with a proven track record. 10 MVP development companies stand out in the industry, offering comprehensive MVP development services that guide startups through every phase of the development process.
Whether it’s native app development, mobile, and web development, or custom software development, selecting the right MVP app development company can make all the difference in turning an idea into a successful business.
