How to Build An MVP | Startup School

Y Combinator Group Partner, Michael Seibel, explains how to build a minimum viable product (MVP) for your startup idea. Using examples from real YC companies, Michael walks through how to determine your MVP feature set, build prototypes and demos for user testing, and present your MVP to early customers or investors.
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Chapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) -
00:00 - How to Build an Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?
01:50 - Pre-launch Startup Goals
04:26 - Founders Biggest Fear
07:17 - Examples - Software MVP
07:48 - Airbnb
08:36 - Twitch
09:15 - Stripe
10:36 - Solving Hair On Fire Problem
14:12 - Build an MVP Quickly
15:51 - Outro

[@ycombinator]

What problem will your MVP solve?

[@approovl]

Solving the inventory issues that million of small businesses face

[@tundeadejimi2479]

It's a health care startup for donating blood and finding blood donors including other rare and important medical supplies

[@lespaceman]

My MVP set to launch this month, will make property virtual tour creation 100x easier.

[@tundeadejimi2479]

@@lespaceman Yeah me too. It's a health care startup for blood donation

[@NaftaliBudamba]

@@uptimehalil I guess this alter call was for you. 👏👏👏👏

[@MarkMonroe]

This is the discussion that all first time founders need to hear

[@damientan4522]

There is no discussion, it’s a monologue

[@MarkMonroe]

@@damientan4522 it would be the same thing sitting in front of a first time founder because he’s answering most likely all the questions they would ask. And also addressing the potential bad ideas they would speak of in the conversation. Of course, you say that because it’s here on KZbin.

[@cory99998]

And WILL NOT listen to lol. They should though, this is the best way hands down. It took me many years to realize this because I was terrified of putting out something less than perfect. If you keep your eyes closed, the problems dont exist right?

[@venkkandadai6042]

Agree 100%

[@arisashiraishi3250]

I’m😅

[@Grensley]

Stripe: 2010 Twitch: 2007 AirBnb: 2008 iPhone: 2007 I believe that a lot of the fundamentals you lay down are true, but I think there's a much higher level of execution expected by consumers now vs 15 years ago. While the "back in the day" stories are fun, I hope you can provide us with more recent examples, given your exposure to those startups through YC.

[@Joshua72josh]

I had the same thought. These products when they were released at that period of time, had the base version of latest things few e.g: Apple - iPhone was not the basic in everything. it had the best and big display with touchscreen for that period of time. AirBnb - It didn't have the payment because it was not basic as it is now. Now since everyone is exposed very much to the internet, I think that things like a big display with touchscreen and payment are kind of basic and most probably will be expected from the users.

[@robhough9911]

Counter to that it's so easy to spin up a lot of functionality that 10 years ago was a pain. You can use 'as-a-service' and cloud tools to get basic stuff like auth, db etc sorted in minutes when it used to take days.

[@abhyas__yog]

Customer Expectations and competition is very high now .Internet & Google search are fast now than 15 yrs back so customers search alternativeTo products faster than ever immedietaly.

[@ovidiuc4]

Let's say you want to build a phone with a hologram. The early adopters would not care about your phone even having a screen, that is how much they need that hologram. The big screen is not solving their problem. And the initial target should be early adopters, not everyone.

[@viktorbranco8362]

facts. The iPhone 1 in 2007 was still superior to its competitors, LG, Black & Berry and whatnot. I'm surprised Micheal Seibel is making such mistakes and not realizing all those services were far successful not because they had a shitty MVP but because they were first in the market for what they had to offer. Looking at back at 2007 and when those services were started and assuming that today you can do the same, is non sense. He failed to point out that an MVP has still to be superior to what exists in the market. It's all relative to what already exists. What was the alternative to AirBnb in 2008? Seriously, does anyone have any idea? That's what made them successful, not necessarily the fact they had a landing page with no features. So the goal should be to come up with an innovative solution AND an MVP, not just an MVP. But I do agree that you should cater to the early adopters and not the skeptics, or people who started using your competitor's services just recently. Those people you may be able to reach only once your service is already well known and established.

[@jimhart5797]

My favorite quote ever: "Fall in love with the problem, not the solution". I've been a software engineer for over 22 years and it wasn't until I learned about MVP 5 years ago that I felt like I was making a real difference. This video is one of the greatest videos I've seen on MVP. Very well done!

[@arthurswanson3285]

Sage advice.

[@TheEsotericProgrammer]

It took me 3 months to build my mvp but I’m solo

[@punnyabrata]

I cannot believe KZbin is such a useful tool for mere mortals like myself. You can pretty much learn anything here.

[@justcruise1855]

I’m so emotional about this😢, thank you Sir. No one told me these things but I’ve been following these advice for a year now.

[@LauraGutierrez-zl1uh]

Even though I've watched all YC videos I've made so many mistakes... I am rewatching all of them and understanding them better, thank you very much for the content, it is gold

[@melissaviolin4050]

These videos have saved me years and so much money/potential regrets - I would have fallen for so many of these traps, and I can see how much closer I am to my goals, and it's helped me make so much more money, for free! Thank you guys for putting this material out there. Thank you Michael!

[@flavioptferreira]

I second that. I don't know if you guys know, but you couldn't have nailed it better on the content: this is some of the MOST valuable ways anyone could help aspiring entrepreneurs. So good!

[@jhoanmartinezsilva2609]

Wow, its amazing

[@djbuckrogers]

This is probably the most important video to watch at this point in time for any founder out there either currently building or thinking of building a product

[@arijitgoswami3652]

This is the Best advice for all first time founders. Awesome, Michael! Building an MVP quickly is an essential step in the product development process as it allows you to test your assumptions and validate your idea with minimal investment, helping you to save time and money in the long run.

[@samyakverma4928]

I feel that the 2014 Y combinator lectures have some of the best startup advice but please keep making these kind of videos that build up on those points.

[@marioacosta1842]

Thank you Michael and YC for keep producing and delivering quality guidance to founders.

[@locksporter]

This one video has helped me out more than anything. I keep coming back to this video every once in a while. Thank you Yc

[@hamidurrahman1575]

Oh man, you completely changed my mind. last two months I have been working on my project and thinking about how to make it perfect and input enough information into the service. Without stumbling upon your video, I might have spent another two months heading in the wrong direction before launching. Now I'm thinking differently as you suggested and planning to share my MVP with my potential customers. Hope I can learn new things from here. Thanks for your contribution to my dream project. love man........ ❤

[@ReinventingRogerOsorio]

Love this video, Michael! I love how succinctly you taught his incredibly impactful lesson. I teach this topic and will be sharing this video with my students!

[@gristlelollygag]

You really leave an impression of a guy who knows his stuff well. Thank you!

[@PriyankBolia]

I had seen this advise 100 times, but never explained in such detail and in simple words and examples.

[@ethiopianbillionaire]

This is really what the first startup owners wants to hear and should hear. Thanks very much for your open and clear brief.

[@Lexweecon]

My favorite episode so far! Straightforward, no bs.

[@soumen_das]

Thank you so much Michael. I so wish to meet you one day. You are a mentor to all of us.

[@bilza2023]

I hear it again and again and again.... and every time it makes even more sense

[@softwareamedida]

I cannot express in words how much I love this guy

[@AnthonyAllioo]

Needed this, I keep getting caught up on trying to create a solution to every problem instead of getting the product out. I’m a real estate agent building a platform for my clients that list with me. I have my actual clients test it out and they typically have no problem testing it out for me as I’m a real estate agent building out a platform myself. Gonna stick with getting the basic, foundation done and out and build on top of that.

[@tilingmyway]

Best communicator at YC! Thank you for all you do.

[@_orangutan]

This video boosted my confidence in what I'm thinking about building. I was bogged down with all the features of my app and trying to figure out how I go about implementing them all.

[@osaheniogbebor5504]

This video was so helpful! I’ve always wanted to make sure everything is in place before I start something ❤

[@BASSAMq96]

Very motivational video for a founder who has fears about starting their project. It was really helpful. Thank you!

[@631kw]

Great advice! As I reflect on my life, the same principle should apply to my thesis, first job and first coding project. To date, I still want to perfect my work but always receive real-world feedback too late.

[@zddayinno]

I spent a year building a product, and it isn't working as I expected right now I'm about to drop it down and I see this video. now I got a clear vision of that. thanks a lot ❤♥

[@Geniusproduction]

This is one of the best videos I’ve seen on this subject in my life.

[@BransTiong]

Honestly I feel YC is giving us this because they wanna tell new founders this is how we prove our concept fast, get metrics and start taking action on our ideas. That way it’s more practical to go up to VCs such as YC to get investment as we have proof of concept. Super great valuable info 🔥🔥🔥

[@none0n]

Videos like this is the reason I can't go to school. Concise and useful.

[@mike110111]

One thing I've been wrestling with is really how to start building. I've been a developer for a long time and my first thought was using what seemed like the most effective technology. That way I can mitigate problems down the line like bugs or adding new features or supporting customers. But now I realise this is the wrong approach. Because really the biggest user of the product is going to be me - I'm the one who will always be in the weeds, in order to support the customers. That's why how to start building really should be a list of the things I need as product support - looking up user info, backing up data, having checks running to flag inconsistencies. I think this framing can profoundly change the way you approach building the product by building it for you and your team to best support clients

[@AbdulSamad-ct9io]

My first video of a startup school and I'm amazed to see how excellent they are, as a software engineer working in mobile apps, I am moving more towards startup MVP development and perhaps becoming a founder myself one day. An important question is what should be the roadmap if you plan to work in MVP in 2023 when there is a lot of competition and people with fair advantages who can simply beat you in your own game

[@allenmandikutse]

I've been in love with my MVP for many years and haven't launched yet 😭😂 I learnt a lot from this video. AirBnb, Twitch, Stripe also started from the bottom, improved gradually whilst they were learning from their users. Thank you Michael

[@irandis]

Review point number 4 at 15:32, you're welcome. 😅

[@phasematerialsresearch9319]

Sad lol

[@olemew]

"I learnt a lot" unless you put something on hands of users before the end of March, you did not

[@allenmandikutse]

@@olemew Agreed. Before end of March.

[@dmiradakis]

I agree with everyone else, ship it my friend!

[@dafnemeneses9593]

Love the comment section because SAME! It's been 4 months and just now i'm going all the way with my crapy MVP using notion. Thank you!!!

[@Inder_pal_singh]

I want you to hug Michael 🤗. Thanks for this great video

[@codelery414]

I felt in love with my MVP so much that I abandoned it after putting a lot to make it near finished product. This video taught me the way to follow as against what majority do.

[@joshuaawolusi6576]

Succinctly describes the life cycle of an MVP! Thank you!

[@winnerekwuazi7704]

Great video with lots of pragmatic wisdom. Thanks Michael!

[@DeepeshSachdev_Gaming]

This is most important step for aspiring founder to watch.I am former Student of YCombinator

[@omo1960]

Thanks for this. I didn't know much i needed to hear something like this.

[@martinvega7516]

This video litteraly change my life

[@peterebode]

I love the hair on fire analogy.. I am very inexperienced in this space, but I would love to chip in something. "Sometimes, you should build for people who didn't know they needed the product " Your product might then wake up something in them or make them realize a subtle inconvenience they've always had, and seeing your product eliminate that would then be a win for both of you.. IMO

[@cullenmcneice1779]

thankyou, this has kept me grounded as I build MVPs

[@mansoob]

Lovely! A great learning. Thank you for sharing such invaluable experiences and insights.

[@saasmarketing]

Such a great video and a much needed discussion. Thanks for sharing!

[@stefan-bayer]

Precise to the point- great explanations!

[@JanOssenbrink]

The "brick / hair on fire" analogy is just fantastic

[@staryDust]

BEST ADVICE VIDEO FOR DEVELOPERS/TECH STARTUPS I HAVE SEEN ! ❤

[@tiagorossibolt]

Thank's, now I'll build and MVP that will become into a $1B startup in a year.

[@satheesh_ar]

Advice and insights every first-time founder should consider. thank you 😊

[@yuniakibona7267]

This video just saved me a lot of money! Thank you🙏🏾✨️

[@RadioACtiveN3Rd]

I think that all of the examples you gave have something in common. They were MVPs in a new tech space. I feel that customer expectations were lower because of this, and so an MVP was more lightweight. Whereas, today, I feel in many sectors the customers' expectation has been set really high, and so the MVPs in many areas of today have to be quite polished and not as 'minimum' as they used to be. Thoughts?

[@pedrolofiego2814]

Thats something that I'm scared of, if u want to start a business improving something that already exist, you cannot spend weeks developing de product because if you want to improve something that already exist you need to do what they do and then go to your project. Making the weeks being months or a year.

[@xxxxMonkeyGirlxxxx]

Yes, my company is obsessed with building MVPs right now but they are not building anything that is unique or solving a real problem that our customers have. If anything our company is playing catch up to get to the same playing field that our competitors are at… but that is not what MVP is about. It’s not about building catch up products…. It’s about building something that is going to solve your customers problem that isn’t already on the market.

[@tiagodev5838]

That's EXACTLY what I thought! Just about every possible product has been created in one way or another. No one is going to hit themselves with a brick today! 😂

[@gustafkocken]

This was fantastic, thank you so much!

[@transportationmarketplace496]

This was excellent, thank you Michael. As an experienced founder who's neither the Jedi nor the idiot, I needed to hear this. Vivek

[@shoaibalich]

The brick analogy had me rolling on the floor. Too funny and true at the same time.

[@user-py2tf4wm6n]

Thank you very much for these advices its really helped me to make my decision

[@shashankemani1609]

This lecture is just jaw-dropping!

[@anthonyerdenetuguldur5609]

This video is so great!! Thank you Michael!!

[@aashwathc]

Wow. Just wow. Thank you Michael

[@JacobGagoOfficial]

That last conclusion statement hit home.

[@jorysousselin6921]

Definitely what I needed to hear. Thank you!

[@urshitagangabasi3899]

Pure brilliance. Goldmine for me! Thanks a bunch YC and Michael. LY!

[@Debo-Abayomi]

This is great to watch. Thank you for putting this out

[@romuloaranguibel5826]

one of the best videos i have seen

[@montassar_akrmi]

This will work for niches with few competitors, like in the case of inventions, but when your idea is based on small details, MVP will just be ignored, Threads from Meta as an example which now losing their users, on the other side Nothing phone which comes up with a good prototype for the phone market. otherwise, focusing on the problem and what makes your product different from the other is very important, this is what actually makes your project worth spending time on it.

[@SuperDupercjz]

Thank you so much. You just changed my life!

[@mosesnandi]

What an amazing talk! That fire analogy was spot on

[@lakshithamadushan8218]

This is brilliant its changed my mindset and understood the reality thank you verry mutch 🥰

[@theclinicianlife7288]

This is such great advice! We applied to YC for this summer batch and are working on these exact steps while we await the decision 🤞🏽🙏🏽

[@fn7io]

Hi. What is it that you're building?

[@anthonyerdenetuguldur5609]

Amazing Advice!! Thank you Michael!

[@user-hb9vb4sy9s]

This video just saved me a lot of money! Thank you️

[@sjamr10]

Best content I've seen about building an MVP!

[@adamkasprowicz]

tyvm Michael! your advices are pure gold. You pushed me to go live asap. I've just launched the app and I feel alive again :D I couldnt imagine the ways ppl break my app

[@AbdulSamad-ct9io]

launching mvp fast doesn't mean it should ok to break, I guess but you made the move that important and congragulations to that.

[@BT-xm7ti]

Straight to the point! Thx a lot

[@mr.shredder5430]

this is the greatest advice thanks for sharing lots of love to you guys💜💜

[@LoveCat1]

Best advice to founders who are building their mvp

[@franklinaamoah2971]

This is what Ive been wanting to hear for a long time now

[@Mrslykid1992]

WOW THE HAIR ON FIRE ANALOGY JUST HIT ME! Cause the person has no option but to take that solution! If not iterate until we have the water to resolve the issue at hand!

[@asif_mojtoba]

Sooooo loved it, beautifully explained!

[@madankd]

Well, when I was 21, I had an idea, but I didn't have any money to develop an MVP. So, I learned to code by myself and built an MVP. It took me 2 years to learn and build an MVP, but now this video shows me how we can build an MVP. I love this video

[@CoeficienteIntelectual]

I made the same error by several years, by today I'm YC alumni, and I will never spend so many years under development, MVP intent to be 3-4 months of development,

[@madankd]

@@CoeficienteIntelectual great man

[@alexandrete835]

Excellent video, thanks for that !

[@venkkandadai6042]

This was very insightful and helpful

[@kannank7313]

Great video. 20+ years experience in IT industry finally learned that I can use…

[@nurseci]

This is the best down to earth advice on MVP!

[@jamesonvparker]

I’m about a year into my MVP. About 6 months to go before launch. I’ll take all of this to heart though. I’ll launch sooner than when I’m finished I suppose. The basics are there.

[@Parzival047]

Thank you...I DON'T know how to thank...but please thank you and keep uploading these...

[@6_thereturn]

Love this video! Very timely! 🙏🏽

[@KazzyOfficial]

MICHAEL BACK WITH THE HEAT

[@ashwinkale5378]

This video has give wings to my idea 🔥🔥.

[@MichealS-bi8xt]

This post shares valuable insights on building an MVP from Y Combinator. Looking forward to implementing these tips in my own startup. Email finder tool can help expand our reach.

[@steverogers157]

Thanks for the beautiful insight!!!

[@duongtt3]

(Video 2) Very hepful for me; Thank you so much Michael!

[@muhsinkhalif3621]

this is good for first time founders, third time founders know good distrubtion + ok product> low distrubition + great product

[@EnriqueHerbella]

Amazing, clear, to the point advise!

[@erikaperu73eg]

You are the best Michael!

[@CoeficienteIntelectual]

Thanks, Michael, MVP and TTM are keys concepts to being successful on this space

[@sambyksg2011]

Excellent Video. Thanks for the session!

[@slayermeb]

Just what I needed!!! Thanks a million!!!