Building a Startup MVP in 2025: Modern Stack and Best Practices

We've helped launch 30+ startups in the past two years. Here's the exact playbook we use to go from idea to paying customers in 8-12 weeks.

The Modern MVP Stack (2025)

Frontend

• Next.js 15: React framework with server components
• Tailwind CSS: Utility-first styling (10x faster than custom CSS)
• Shadcn/UI: Pre-built accessible components
• Vercel: Deployment and hosting (zero config)

Backend

• Supabase: PostgreSQL database, auth, and real-time (Firebase alternative)
• Prisma: Type-safe ORM for database queries
• tRPC: End-to-end type safety without code generation
• Stripe: Payment processing

Infrastructure

• GitHub Actions: CI/CD pipeline
• Sentry: Error tracking and monitoring
• PostHog: Product analytics
• Resend: Transactional emails

8-Week MVP Timeline

What to Build (and What to Skip)

Must-Have Features

• One core workflow that solves the main problem
• Email/password authentication (skip OAuth for MVP)
• Basic payment integration (if monetized)
• Simple admin dashboard
• Error tracking and analytics

Skip for MVP

• Mobile apps (build responsive web first)
• Multiple user roles and permissions
• Advanced search and filtering
• Extensive customization options
• Social features and notifications

Case Study: SaaS MVP

Product: Project management tool for small agencies

Timeline: 9 weeks from kick-off to first paying customer

Features built:

• Project and task management (core feature)
• Time tracking
• Client portal (view-only access)
• Stripe subscription billing
• Email notifications

Results: 50 beta users in month 1, 12 paying customers by month 3, $2.4K MRR.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Feature creep: Adding "just one more feature" before launch
• Perfect design: Spending weeks on pixel-perfect UI
• Premature optimization: Over-engineering for scale you don't have
• Complex architecture: Microservices and fancy patterns you don't need
• Zero marketing: Building in isolation without user feedback

MVP Development Costs