MVP development for startups: step-by-step guide
In this article, we’ll give you an in-depth guide on MVP development for startups.
Here, we’ll show you 6 ways you can reduce your MVP app development costs.
CRAFTING your Startup
Reach product-market fit without missed deadlines, broken budgets, and poor quality.
Here’s how ↓
Trusted by great companies
How we can help your startup…
Pre-seed / Seed
Our go-to-market expertise can give you a helping hand from design to development. We’ll help you with:
Fast prototyping
Proof of Concept
Market-focused MVP
Series A
Scale effectively after establishing product–market fit. We’ll help you with:
MVP improvements
Infrastructure
Architecture & design
Series B+
We’ll help you scale predictably, launch new products, and enter new markets. We’ll help you with:
Optimizing infrastructure for expansion
Globalization & localization
Optimizing UX/UI for larger audiences
Large 3rd party integrations
Offering technical support
I am continually impressed by the level of pride and ownership that DECODE takes in the work they perform for us. They treat our products as if they are their own, which translates into better user experiences for our customers.
We know
what matters
Working with 50+ startups over 12 years, we realized there are 3 main goals you have. Your product needs to be:
Scenario:
You’re promised an MVP in 3 months.
5 months later, it’s not even in sight.
Meanwhile, you’re burning money at unsustainable rates.
Next thing you know, you’re out of business.
We’ll make sure you hit the market quickly with your MVP.
That means you’ll get user feedback fast.
And that means you’ll be able to improve your product.
Our experts will make informed, realistic time estimates and create a detailed roadmap to make it all possible.
We won’t overpromise. We’ll overdeliver.
Scenario:
You’re a startup, looking to hire a vendor to develop your product.
You can’t afford to hire the wrong company. When that happens, you’ll get
- Unreliable development
- Scope creep
- Increased development costs
So what you need is a company with a proven track record.
A company that worked on many complex projects.
A company that understands startups.
Scenario:
You reach the market with your MVP.
The only problem is that users aren’t impressed.
It’s either riddled with bugs or doesn’t solve the user’s main pain point.
We have a 2-way approach to solving this problem.
- Meticulous CI/CD pipelines ensuring consistent quality in every line of code.
- Detailed product discovery to understand your users and how to solve their problems.
Successful startup projects
Quantum-cryptography powered communication →
We created a multi-platform real-time communication software product.
Business contact management app →
We helped the startup establish and continuously grow their user base.
They brought in the expertise in the area of mobile application architecture, automated deployment & testing, introducing new development paradigms and workflows.
Why us
We’ve been building million-download products with 5-star ratings for over a decade. Here’s the tried and tested method we’ll use to make your product a success too:
1 project – 1 team
An engineer working on three projects can’t give real attention to any of them. That’s why we’re never distracted by other clients from the moment we start working together. Your product will get the attention it deserves and we’ll get it to market fast.
Extreme transparency
If you’re only in touch with the team through a team lead, are you really communicating? We’ll give you communication access to every team member on your project. You’ll also know who’s doing what, when, why, and at what cost. This way you’re always in the loop and there is no room for miscommunication.
Multi-disciplinary approach
Hiring code churners isn’t enough if you’re to succeed in the market. We’ll give you a multi-disciplinary approach with engineers, project managers, QAs, and designers working together to create a complete product.
How do we know startups? We made our own from scratch.
We’ve bootstrapped our sister company Shake and have gone through the grueling yet exciting process every startup must face. We came up with the idea, carried out market research, and then assembled the initial team to make it a reality. This shows we know what it takes to make a successful startup product.
38M+
app installs
4
years of constant growth
HOW TO BUILD A STARTUP
Knowledge is power. That’s why we’ve assembled a library of books, articles, and videos from proven experts to help you build your startup from pre-seed to IPO.
- If you’re just starting out, you’ll learn how to create a great idea and how to position your product.
- If you want your MVP to hit the market fast we have great resources on that topic.
- If you want to grow your product and scale it sustainably, you’ll learn about that too.
Here’s what startups say about us
Their staff showed broader engineering skills, beyond just “mere” software development, like an analytical approach, diligent troubleshooting, and the willingness to learn fast.
What struck us the most with DECODE is the versatility of their engineers who were able to tackle every problem and respond to every challenge with diligence and persistence. Their UI/UX designer showed extraordinary creativity and was a source of excellent ideas. They were an excellent bunch to work with!
DECODE made an excellent job working with us on one of our most strategic projects with one of the biggest, most global clients within the industry. With great energy, great technical knowledge, very quick understanding of the situation and what was needed to be done, including the willingness to walk the extra mile, they were a big part of make this project so successful. True professionals and very good output with high quality and speed!
While working on Vitastiq, DECODE pulled all the stops. Of course, they delivered the project, but what’s also important is the relationship with us and the way they work—their communication was highly responsive, they were proactive and had that youthful zeal. I don’t know how they did it, but the whole time we were working together, we felt like we were their only client!
DECODE’s in-depth knowledge of creating real-time communication apps was exactly what we needed for such a demanding mobile app solution. Because of their high quality and speed, I consider them as a five-star agency.
Still not convinced?
Here are verified Clutch testimonials from our satisfied clients.
Collaboration packages
Product discovery
Through workshops and modern research methods we’ll test your idea, make sure it fits the market and show you how to turn it into reality.
From basic to complex
3 – 10+ weeks depending on complexity
19.000 – 33.000 USD
MVP development
From native and cross-platform iOS and Android apps to specialized web applications, we know exactly how to develop and build awesome products.
3 – 6 months to MVP
Full insight into work, progress & plan
60.000 – 250.000 USD
Custom solution →
You didn’t find a plan that fits your needs? No problem! We suggest having a call with our tech experts to better understand your idea.
Next steps
We only take on projects we have the capacity to deliver to exceptional standards – and we never abandon you part-way through.
Over a relaxed call or two, we’d like to hear as much as possible about your project
(fully NDA’d of course).
We’ll talk about:
- Your expectations
- Services you need
- Your vision
There are a few steps in this phase:
- We’ll hand-pick a team based on your desired seniority level and other requirements.
- We’ll send you their CVs so you’ll know every engineer working for you.
- If necessary, we can set up interviews between you and every engineer.
Only when you’re 100% on board with our choice, we’ll go to the next phase.
If everything sounds good to you, and we have the availability to do a great job, we’re ready to get going.
Let’s start building your startup
Want to get in touch? Just fill in the short form below, or skip to the bottom to arrange a chat direct with our client strategy specialist. Either way, we’ll be back in touch as soon as we can to arrange an informal call.
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Arrange a chat with Ivor, our client strategy specialist.
Still unsure about something?
Don’t worry, whatever it is, we’ve got you covered in our FAQ.
Experienced developers + right strategy = quick execution.
We’ll help you plan your MVP by prioritizing the right features and removing everything unnecessary. The plan will be structured to get you to market as soon as possible and our teams of veteran engineers will make that plan a reality. Over the 12 years we’ve been building software products for startups, we’ve developed a tried and tested method of rapidly delivering products.
We ensure quality in two ways which sometimes overlap:
Product quality — Here we make sure that all of your users’ needs are met, that the UX is top-notch, and that you have a clear roadmap for growth. We achieve product quality through user research, meticulous planning, and years of experience.
Engineering quality — This is the quality of the code itself, the building blocks of your product. By integrating rigorous quality assurance into our CI/CD pipeline we can guarantee that each line of code goes through a series of automated tests and passes our strict quality standards.
3 words — The feedback loop.
The single most important method for product growth. We’ll set up the feedback loop for your MVP with all the various analytics tools we use, and we’ll help you analyze user data coming in. Once we’ve identified the most important feedback, we’ll translate it into features your users will love. This process can go on indefinitely and each iteration will make your product better than before.
Our pool of 80+ software experts is at your disposal as your startup begins growing. We keep a healthy “bench” of free engineers exactly for that scenario, and we can get new teammates ready in a matter of days. In the case of downscaling, we easily adapt to that as well, making sure the whole project, not only the team scales down.
Yes, you are the owner of the Intellectual Property rights, including the code, at all times.
In the spotlight
See all →
6 ways to reduce MVP app development costs
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