What does the startup term “MVP” stand for?

MVP stands for “minimum viable product,” a version of a product with just enough features to test a core idea with early users.

The concept is strongly associated with Eric Ries and the lean startup movement, although the phrase also appears in earlier product-development discussions. An MVP is not necessarily crude or unfinished; its purpose is to generate useful evidence while limiting wasted effort.

Entrepreneurs often misunderstand MVP as meaning “build the cheapest possible product.” In practice, the minimum must still deliver enough value for users to respond meaningfully. A landing page, prototype, manual service, or limited software release can all function as an MVP, depending on the idea being tested.

The neighbouring lean-startup cycle is build-measure-learn. An MVP supplies the “build” stage, while user behaviour and feedback provide measurements that guide the next iteration.