On January 21, founders and developers of TechTown Detroit’s Start Studio MVP program gathered onsite at TechTown Detroit for a Product Development Day. For eight hours, participants collaborated closely with developers and TechTown’s Entrepreneur-in-Residences (EIR) to build out their MVP (minimum viable product). They used no-code applications such as Nixcode, Bubble and Glide.
What is Start Studio MVP?
Start Studio MVP is a program where emerging founders work one-on-one with an EIR and a developer mentor to build an early prototype with no-code tools. The collaboration between founders, developers and EIRs enables participants to work together to achieve a defined business purpose. The program operates online and in person.
Many founders brought a laundry list of added features to build into the first version of their product. With the help and guidance of Facilitator-in-Residence Stefan Sysko and our EIRs Mack Hendricks, Marlin Williams and David Webber, the founders reigned in their eagerness of trying to build a “Most Beautiful Product.”
Sysko pointed out in his introduction that many founders make the mistake of trying to build the perfect prototype. Since they are so emotionally invested in their vision, they lack an objective view of what their users will adopt. Founders and developers were consistently reminded to avoid this by keeping the user at the forefront of their minds and follow the structured process set before them to build an MVP.
What is an MVP?
An MVP (minimum viable product) is exactly what it says on the tin. It is the simplest version of your product with just enough features to validate your value proposition. The MVP process falls under the lean umbrella as the first client-facing version of a product. In today’s business landscape, releasing your product quickly and within budget is a prerequisite to a startup’s success. Building an MVP has become the de facto process. It allows you to save time and money while reducing your risks. Attendees hyper-focused on solving their users’ key problems and reducing the product’s cost while building their MVP.
Building a successful MVP depends heavily on approach and study, all of which Start Studio MVP provides our founders. TechTown equips founders with the tools to create the business vision behind the solution they are creating. This allows them to deliver value at every moment and stay on the path of launching a successful product.
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