What shapes an MVP in the United States
American founders build in the largest software market in the world and under the eye of the most experienced investors. Both reward speed. Neither forgives a first version whose paperwork was skipped.
| Topic | What it means for your MVP | Decide early |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership of the code | Under US copyright law, software written by an independent contractor does not automatically belong to the company that paid for it. Investors expect a signed assignment of intellectual property from every person and firm that contributed | The ownership and licensing terms your agreement should state, with your lawyer's advice |
| Privacy on day one | Most state privacy laws exempt very small companies, yet the federal ban on deceptive practices does not. A privacy policy has to describe what the product really collects. Children's data and health data carry rules with no size exemption | What the first version collects, and whether children or health data are involved |
| Handling other people's money | A marketplace or payments product that holds customer funds can fall under state money transmission laws. Most startups avoid that by letting a licensed payment provider hold and move the money | Whether funds ever sit in your own account |
| App stores | Apple and Google review apps against their own rules, including how digital goods are sold and a requirement that accounts can be deleted inside the app | Whether the first version is a web product, which needs no store review |
| Launch messages | Marketing email must identify the sender and offer an opt-out, and marketing texts need prior written consent | How the waitlist asks for permission |
Four first versions we build
Each of these tests demand with as little engineering as the question allows.
Concierge test
For ideas where the service can be delivered by hand before it is automated.
- Landing page explains the offer
- Visitor requests the service
- Your team fulfills it manually
- Customer pays through a payment link
- You learn what to automate first
Single-feature product
One job done well for one kind of user.
- User signs up
- Connects or uploads their data
- Gets the result
- Shares or exports it
- Upgrades to keep using it
Two-sided marketplace
For products that match buyers with providers.
- Providers onboarded by hand
- Buyers search and book
- Payment held by the payment provider
- Service delivered
- Funds released and fee taken
- Both sides rate each other
Paid pilot for a business product
For selling to companies before the product is finished.
- Problem confirmed with a buyer
- Pilot scope and price agreed
- Product configured for that account
- Results reviewed against the goal
- Pilot becomes an annual contract
What we build
Scope workshop
A working session that ends with one hypothesis, one user and a feature list short enough to build quickly. See product discovery workshops.
UX and interface design
Flows and screens designed around the first-time user, tested as a prototype before engineering begins.
The product itself
A web or mobile application with accounts, the core feature and payments, on a stack that engineers you hire later will recognize.
Payments without licensing risk
Checkout, subscriptions or marketplace payouts through a licensed payment provider, so your company does not hold customer funds.
Measurement
Product analytics set up around the few events that show whether people get value and return.
Handover
Repository access, infrastructure notes and documentation prepared so that an in-house team could continue the work.
What we need from you
- The assumption you most need to test
- Introductions to a handful of target users
- Whatever you have shown investors so far
- Time from a founder every week
Ownership and licensing terms are defined in the project agreement.
A readiness checklist for a US MVP
Before development starts
0 of 7 checkedWhat to do next
Write to us with the idea, the user and the evidence you have so far. We will answer with the leanest version we think could test it, and with what we would cut. Start a conversation or book a 30-minute call.
Building an app first? Planning a mobile app MVP walks through the feature cuts that matter.
Common questions
Who owns the code when a startup hires an outside company?
Whoever the agreement says. Under US copyright law the author owns the work, and software written by an independent contractor becomes the client's property only through a written assignment. Investors and acquirers ask to see these documents, so settle the point before work begins and take legal advice on the wording. Ownership and licensing terms are defined in the project agreement.
Does an MVP need to charge sales tax?
It depends on what you sell and where your customers are. States decide for themselves whether software, digital goods and services are taxable, and an obligation in a state usually begins only after your sales there pass a threshold. Many early products fall below those thresholds at first. Ask an accountant where you stand before launch, and choose a payment provider that can add tax calculation when you need it.
Which regulations apply to an MVP on its first day?
Fewer than founders fear, but not none. Your privacy policy must be accurate. Marketing emails and texts have consent and opt-out rules. Products for children under 13, products handling health data and products that move money each bring specific law regardless of company size. App stores add their own rules. We raise these in scoping so the first version stays clear of the areas it does not need.
What should the first version leave out?
Anything that does not help answer the question the MVP exists to answer. That usually means no team accounts, no admin panel beyond the basics, no integrations and no second platform. Manual work behind the scenes is acceptable while customers are few. Our comparison of a prototype and a production-ready MVP shows what must still be done properly.
Where to go from here
Related serviceStartup MVP DevelopmentA first version real customers can use