How many times have you heard this phrase in startup or corporate innovation meetings? “We need to build an MVP!” 🚀 Sounds proactive, right? But here’s a hard truth:
Jumping straight into building an MVP is like sprinting into a fog—you don’t know where you’re going, and you’ll probably hit a wall.

Smart founders don’t start by building an MVP. They start by validating the problem. Without that, you’re essentially gambling with your time, money, and energy.

1. The “Blind Build” Trap:

• Most startups rush to build something tangible—fast.
• But without real problem validation, you end up guessing what customers want, leading to wasted resources.
• Result: a fast-forward failure.

1. MVP Chaos—What Actually Happens:
   • Building an MVP before validation means ballooning costs, unclear direction, and endless iterations.
   • It’s a recipe for burning out before you even get real traction.
2. The Psychological Trap of MVP Failure:
   • Imagine launching your MVP and hearing crickets.
   • Was it the wrong problem?
   • Was it a bad solution?
   • Without validation, you’ll never know. The confusion can be fatal.
3. The Smarter Way—Validate First:
   • Before touching a single line of code, test your problem hypothesis.
   • Use quick, low-cost experiments like:
     • Landing pages
     • Demo videos (à la Dropbox)
     • Customer interviews
   • Only when you have proof of real demand should you move on to building an MVP.
4. Real-Life Example—Dropbox:
   • Dropbox didn’t build before they validated.
   • They used a simple explainer video, which went viral and got them 75k signups in one night—proof of demand without writing a single line of code.

Building an MVP too soon is not just risky—it’s often startup suicide. Instead, validate your problem first, build second, and give yourself a fighting chance at success.
💡 Let’s build smarter. Have you seen startups fall into the MVP trap before? Drop your thoughts below!
Try derisky.ai to validate your problem first.