MVP development

MVP development: a working first version of your product, built by one team

Material Lab designs and builds MVPs for founders, including founders who are not technical. We scope first, agree the timeline in writing before any build starts, and you own the code from day 1.

Last updated 21 September 2026

How we decide the scope

An MVP is the first working version of your product, not a fixed package. We decide what belongs in that first version by looking at the user roles, the essential workflow, integrations, data to bring across, and whether it needs web, iOS or both.

Month one turns those choices into a written scope: what to build first, what to cut, and what can wait until real users have taught us more.

What an MVP is, and what we cut

An MVP, or minimum viable product, is the smallest working version of your product that lets real people do the one thing it exists for, so you learn from them before you spend more. It is not a prototype. A prototype shows how something might work. An MVP is software people can sign in to and use.

We work back from that one thing. Everything else goes on a later list. If a feature does not add value, we say so before it costs you anything.

A typical MVP from us contains:

  • a design for the core flow, built on a design system so later screens match the first ones
  • a working web app, or a native iOS app where your users need one, on a standard backend with login, a database and file storage
  • testing before your first users arrive
  • a launch, so your first users can actually reach it

Who does what, and who owns what

Material Lab does

  • Scoping: what to build, what to cut and what it will cost
  • Product and UX design, and the design system
  • Engineering: the web app, and native iOS where it is needed
  • Testing and launch
  • After launch, a care plan for a web app or a monthly build sprint, if you want one

You own or provide

  • The idea and every product decision. We advise, you decide
  • The code, from day 1, with no lock-in contract
  • Getting your first users to try it, and their feedback
  • Third-party service bills, which are billed at cost

Anything not in the left-hand column, such as marketing the product or recruiting users, is yours unless we agree otherwise in the scope. We write that down at scoping so nothing is assumed.

How it runs, and how long it takes

  1. StrategyMonth one starts with scoping: what to build, what to cut, and what it will cost.
  2. Design systemOne system for your brand, website, sales material and product, so everything looks like it came from one team.
  3. BuildThe same senior team designs and builds. You see working software early and often.
  4. Stay onAfter launch we keep it running with a care plan, or keep shipping with a monthly build sprint.

How long an MVP takes depends on its scope, so we do not print a number here. We agree the timeline in writing during scoping, before any build starts. Once building begins, you see working software early and often, not one big reveal at the end.

For reference, RTB (below), a client build, started in April 2026 and is in private beta now. Gymbo, our own product, started in January 2026 and is in private beta now.

Products we have built

Two products, and one thing to know before you read them. RTB is a client build. Gymbo is our own product, not a client delivery.

Client build, webRTB: Rotaract Talent BridgeA verified hiring marketplace with portals for students, employers and administrators. We designed and built it end to end for Rotaract Talent Bridge (Logisense AI). It is in private beta at rtbindia.org, with over 50 employers onboarded (client-reported, Sep 2026).Read the RTB case studyOur own productGymboGymbo is our own product, not a client project. It is a native SwiftUI iOS app plus a web app for independent personal trainers in India, in a private beta with 30 trainers. The 4,000+ sessions logged in the beta are an internal estimate.Read the Gymbo case study

Questions people ask

How long does an MVP take?

It depends on scope. We agree the timeline in writing during scoping, before any build starts.

I am not technical. Can I still hire you?

Yes. You bring the idea and the decisions about your users. We turn them into a scope, a design and a working product, and we explain the trade-offs in plain language. The product decisions stay with you.

Who owns the code?

You do, from day 1. There are no lock-in contracts.

What is the difference between an MVP and a prototype?

A prototype shows how something might work. An MVP is a working product that real people can use, so you can learn from them.

Do you build iOS as well as web?

We build native iOS apps and web apps. The only iOS app we have built is our own product, Gymbo, which is in a TestFlight private beta and not on the public App Store. Read the iOS page before you decide.

What happens after launch?

We can stay on for agreed changes, security and dependency updates, or you can take the code and go. It is yours, with no lock-in.

Have an idea you want to test?

Book a free strategy call

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