Criteria for Choosing a Bespoke MVP Development Company
Selecting the right bespoke MVP development team can make or break your startup’s early success. As a founder or CTO, you’re not just looking for someone to write code. You need a partner who understands your vision, challenges, and urgency.
Below is the checkbox of essential aspects that your potential partner should understand. The best MVP software development agency should:
Below is the checkbox of essential aspects that your potential partner should understand. The best MVP software development agency should:
Understand the Startup Environment
Your MVP development partner should understand the difference between startup and established company. Startups operate in a world of rapid change, tight budgets, and pressure to deliver results quickly.
Your development partner should not only understand this environment but have working experience. Partner should be prepared for shifting priorities, tight deadlines, and evolving product requirements.
Ask potential mvp partners about their experience working with early-stage startups. Have they successfully adapted to quick pivots? Do they know how to prioritize essential features to meet tight timelines?
Your development partner should not only understand this environment but have working experience. Partner should be prepared for shifting priorities, tight deadlines, and evolving product requirements.
Ask potential mvp partners about their experience working with early-stage startups. Have they successfully adapted to quick pivots? Do they know how to prioritize essential features to meet tight timelines?
Nowadays the right partner should offer more than just technical development. It should support you with validation, user feedback loops, and solutions that won't impact your vision.
To give you a better understanding, below is a comparison of the startup and enterprise approaches to MVP development.
To give you a better understanding, below is a comparison of the startup and enterprise approaches to MVP development.
Keep a Balance Between Speed and Long-Term Scalability
Speed-to-market is often the top priority for startups. You need to launch fast, but rushing can lead to technical debt that becomes a costly problem later.
The right MVP development company will help you achieve the right balance. Delivering a product quickly while maintaining a scalable and maintainable codebase.
The right MVP development company will help you achieve the right balance. Delivering a product quickly while maintaining a scalable and maintainable codebase.
For example, ask MVP team how they follow best coding practices or perform proper documentation. Your MVP is a foundation that should evolve into a full product without costly rework.
Have a Strong Product Thinking
Many development companies can write code, but not all can take ownership of your product and YOUR success.
In other words, there are a lot of agencies on the market that will promise you the moon - just to win the project. Very often such overpromising leads to a burn of your budget without any tangible results.
In other words, there are a lot of agencies on the market that will promise you the moon - just to win the project. Very often such overpromising leads to a burn of your budget without any tangible results.
As a founder or CTO, you don't need a partner who will say YES to all your ideas. You need a partner who challenges your assumptions, provides alternative solutions, and helps you count a few steps ahead.
During initial conversations, pay attention to whether the company asks insightful questions about your business goals, target audience, and revenue model. A team with strong product thinking will help you avoid feature creep.
Provide Transparency at Each Stage of Collaboration
Transparency goes beyond regular updates. It’s about open, direct communication with the actual team working on your product. Your potential MVP development partner should be willing to meet you in person, either by visiting your office or inviting you to theirs.
Meeting face-to-face builds trust and allows to understand the people behind the code.
Meeting face-to-face builds trust and allows to understand the people behind the code.
As a client, you should have the opportunity to speak directly with the developers, designers, and project managers involved.
If a company prevents you from contacting individual team members - it’s a red flag.
Sometimes, this could mean that your project has been subcontracted to another company (often in a cheaper location). Such outsourcing can lead to communication gaps, quality issues, and misaligned expectations.
If a company prevents you from contacting individual team members - it’s a red flag.
Sometimes, this could mean that your project has been subcontracted to another company (often in a cheaper location). Such outsourcing can lead to communication gaps, quality issues, and misaligned expectations.
At Ulan Software, we believe in complete transparency throughout the collaboration process. We invite clients to visit our office and meet the team in person. This direct interaction fosters stronger relationships and ensures alignment from day one.
For example, when we worked with IKEA on delivery service app (via TaskRabbit), we welcomed their team to our office to discuss project F2F. These meetings provided invaluable clarity, built trust, and helped us deliver a solution that met their needs.
For example, when we worked with IKEA on delivery service app (via TaskRabbit), we welcomed their team to our office to discuss project F2F. These meetings provided invaluable clarity, built trust, and helped us deliver a solution that met their needs.
Have Clear Communication & MVP Development Process
Have Clear Communication & MVP Development Process
One of the biggest frustrations startups face when working with external teams is poor communication. Delays, misaligned expectations, and a lack of transparency can derail progress. That’s why clear communication channels and regular updates are the MUST.
Ask potential partners about their communication methods.
Do they offer weekly stand-ups, detailed progress reports, and easy access to project management tools like Jira or Trello?
You want a team that treats you like a partner, not just a client—keeping you informed and involved at every stage.
Do they offer weekly stand-ups, detailed progress reports, and easy access to project management tools like Jira or Trello?
You want a team that treats you like a partner, not just a client—keeping you informed and involved at every stage.
Provide Post-MVP Support and Scalability
Launching the MVP is only the beginning. Once it’s live, you’ll need to analyze user feedback, iterate on features, and plan for scaling.
Not all development companies offer post-launch support, so it’s crucial to confirm this upfront. Unfortunately, there are cases where companies disappear after the MVP stage. They are leaving startups stranded with an unfinished or unmaintainable product.
Not all development companies offer post-launch support, so it’s crucial to confirm this upfront. Unfortunately, there are cases where companies disappear after the MVP stage. They are leaving startups stranded with an unfinished or unmaintainable product.
Why does this can happen? These are the bad practices:
These scenarios can be frustrating, costly, and detrimental to your startup’s momentum.
That is why look for a partner who can help with continuous development and scaling.
Having the same team continue beyond the MVP phase ensures a smooth transition and faster implementation of updates.
Having the same team continue beyond the MVP phase ensures a smooth transition and faster implementation of updates.
Have Experience with MVP Product and Startups
Why? Building an MVP for a startup requires a unique skill set that goes beyond just knowing an industry. It involves understanding how to move quickly, adapt to change, and balance speed with functionality.
Startups operate under tight deadlines, limited budgets, and market uncertainty. An experienced MVP development team knows how to prioritize core features and iterate wisely.
Companies that only have industry knowledge lack the agility needed to manage the unpredictable nature of early-stage product development. If a team has worked on enterprise-level projects in your sector doesn’t mean they can effectively deliver a lean, testable MVP for a startup.
Companies that only have industry knowledge lack the agility needed to manage the unpredictable nature of early-stage product development. If a team has worked on enterprise-level projects in your sector doesn’t mean they can effectively deliver a lean, testable MVP for a startup.
💡 Tip for You!: One of the strongest signals of a company’s capability is whether they have built and launched their own product in-house. If your partner has gone through the process of ideating, developing, and bringing their product to market - they understand your challenges. In other words, they've been in your shoes. From budgeting and user research to commercialization, and post-launch.
Flexible Engagement Models for Startup MVP Product Development
If your bespoke MVP development company offers flexibility in engagement models is more than just a nice-to-have. It’s a key factor that can significantly impact your project’s success in the future.
Startups operate in dynamic environments, where needs and priorities evolve quickly. That’s why working with a partner that offers various engagement models (and even the ability to mix them) is a valuable asset.
For example, many startups prefer to build their MVP under a fixed-price model to keep costs predictable during the initial phase. Once the MVP is launched and the product enters an iterative development cycle, you might want to shift to a time-and-materials model.
This allows to implement changes based on user feedback without contract limitations. Companies that can easily adapt to such transitions show they truly understand the needs of growing startups.
This allows to implement changes based on user feedback without contract limitations. Companies that can easily adapt to such transitions show they truly understand the needs of growing startups.
However, very few companies go beyond standard engagement models. Ulan Software is one of those rare exceptions. Besides the fixed price, T&M and we offer a dedicated team-building model. We created this model specifically for startups looking for continuity, scalability, and deep integration.
Here’s how our dedicated team-building approach works:
We manage the entire recruitment process for you and build a team tailored to your project’s specific requirements. All recruitment costs are covered by us. So you can concentrate on your product and business strategy rather than hiring.
We carefully select developers, designers, and project managers who meet technical needs and fit your product vision.
We carefully select developers, designers, and project managers who meet technical needs and fit your product vision.
Step 2. One roof, full focus
Once assembled, your dedicated team works exclusively on your project within Ulan Software’s offices. This setup ensures:
Best of all, you don’t need to worry about the administrative burdens of employment. We handle everything related to human resources - employee well-being, holidays, leaves, and payroll. You get the focus of an in-house team without the operational headaches.
According to statistics, Startup owners spend around 40% of their working hours on tasks that do not generate income. These are hiring, HR tasks, and payroll.
According to statistics, Startup owners spend around 40% of their working hours on tasks that do not generate income. These are hiring, HR tasks, and payroll.
Step 3. Ownership transfer (if needed)
After two years, you have the option to take full ownership of the team that’s been dedicated to your project from day one.
This means you integrate them into your organization without the usual recruitment challenges. No lengthy hiring processes and onboarding delays - the team already knows your product inside and out.
This means you integrate them into your organization without the usual recruitment challenges. No lengthy hiring processes and onboarding delays - the team already knows your product inside and out.
You overcome knowledge transfer issues that often arise when switching providers or starting fresh with an in-house team. Instead, you have a fully functional, well-coordinated team ready to continue developing, scaling, and supporting your product under your direct leadership.
💡 Why does this matter for startups?
Startups often face the dilemma of choosing between outsourcing and building an internal team. Our dedicated team-building model provides the best of both worlds. Agility during the early stages and long-term continuity as you grow. It’s a solution designed to adapt to your evolving needs, helping you maintain momentum while preparing for the future.
