MVP development in 10 days
Cosmic designs, builds, tests and launches a working MVP in 10 days: one core workflow for one type of user, tested with real users twice and deployed on accounts you own. You keep the code, the tests and a 90-day roadmap.
A short call first. If your idea won’t fit in 10 days, we’ll say so.
The 10 days
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- Days 1–2 · Discover the problem, frame the solution. Discovery and framing in two days. We agree on the outcome and the users, list what has to be true, and narrow many ideas to the one solution worth building. Output: You approve the story map and the design.
- Days 3–4 · Working software by day 4. We build the core workflow end to end, test first, and iterate on it with you the same day. Output: The core workflow runs end to end.
- Days 5–6 · Real users, real findings. Users try the working build. What they do reopens discovery, and we iterate on whatever they trip on. Output: Findings from real users, already being fixed.
- Days 7–8 · A second round, then polish. A second round with users, final fixes and a rehearsed release on the real infrastructure. Output: A release candidate you've clicked through.
- Days 9–10 · Live on your accounts. The last iteration ships to production. We switch on measurement and hand over the code and the next steps. Output: Live, measured and yours.
Days 1–2 · Discover the problem, frame the solution
Discovery and framing in two days. We agree on the outcome and the users, list what has to be true, and narrow many ideas to the one solution worth building.
Output
You approve the story map and the design.
What you walk away with
Everything below is yours on day 10, on your accounts.
- A functioning application in productionDeployed to your cloud account and your domain, used by real people.
- The source code, with tests and CIIn your repository from the first commit. You own all of it.
- A build tested with your users twicePlus notes on what they did and where they got stuck.
- An outcome metric with a baselineAnd the experiment that measures whether the app moved it.
- A story map and a 90-day outcome roadmapSo your team, or ours, knows what to build next and why.
- A recorded handoff for your teamHow the app is built, deployed and tested.
MVP development three ways
| Hire an engineer | Agency project | The sprint | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First working version | After recruiting and ramp-up | After scoping and a statement of work | Day 10 |
| Price | Salary, recruiting fees and benefits | An estimate that can move | $10,000, fixed |
| Tested with users | If someone plans for it | Depends on the contract | Days 5 to 8 |
| Code ownership | Yours | Depends on the contract | Yours from the first commit |
| Measured outcome | Up to you | Rarely in scope | Baseline set on day 1, experiment live on day 10 |
What fits in 10 days, and what doesn’t
Good fits
- A quoting, pricing or ROI tool your sales team uses with buyers
- A customer or partner portal around one core task
- A prototype of a new product to put in front of paying customers
- An internal tool that replaces a spreadsheet and three handoffs
- The core workflow of a vibe-coded app that needs tests, security and a real deploy
Not a fit for 10 days
- Replacing a system of record like your ERP or CRM
- Native mobile apps that need app-store review
- Work that needs a compliance audit before launch
- Ideas nobody on your side can make decisions about daily
MVP development questions
What can really be built in 10 days?
One core workflow for one type of user, built properly: authentication, a database, the screens that workflow needs, tests and a production deploy. The story map from framing decides exactly what's in, and anything that doesn't serve the outcome waits for a later release.
How much does it cost?
$10,000, fixed, for the full 10 days. There's no hourly billing and no change orders inside the sprint, and we confirm on a short call that your idea fits before you pay anything.
Who owns the code and the accounts?
You do. The repository, cloud account and domain are yours from the first commit, and nothing runs on accounts we control.
What do I need to bring?
A decision-maker available for about an hour a day, three to five users for the two rounds of user tests on days 5 to 8, and access to any data or systems the app has to use.
How can one workflow be production-grade in 10 days?
The same way Pivotal Labs teams worked: every story is small, tests are written first, code ships to production every day, and a second person reviews every change. By day 10 the app has been deployed several times already, so launch is routine.
Is an MVP a web app?
Usually, yes. An MVP is the smallest version of a product that does one core job for real users, and for most business products that's a web app people use in the browser: it's the fastest to build, ship and change. A native mobile app can be an MVP too, but app-store review adds time, which is why the sprint doesn't take native mobile work.
Already built something in Lovable, Replit or Cursor? That’s a different job: taking a vibe-coded app to production.
In the Washington DC area? We run the framing day at your office: MVP development in Washington, DC.