Imagine this: some of the biggest companies in the world, the ones you can’t go a day without hearing about, started with almost laughably simple ideas. Think of a scrappy team testing an idea with just a basic website or a single quirky feature.
No fancy tech, no million-dollar budgets- just a core idea and a willingness to see if it resonated with people. That’s the magic of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
MVPs are all about doing more with less. They’re the “rough draft” of a product, stripped down to the essentials, to see if there’s a real demand for what you’re offering.
We have created a list of such MVPs that went on to change industries. These Minimum Viable Product examples will show you how small ideas, tested thoughtfully, can lead to extraordinary success.
Top 15 Minimum Viable Product Examples That Changed the Industry
1. Amazon
Did you know Amazon started as just an online bookstore? Back in 1994, Jeff Bezos decided to sell books because they appealed to everyone and were easy to manage logistically. It was a smart move since he could test whether people would actually buy things online.
It worked out, of course! Once Bezos realized people loved the convenience of online shopping, he expanded Amazon to include everything from electronics to clothes. Now, it’s basically the go-to for anything you want to buy.
2. Airbnb
Airbnb had such humble beginnings. The founders, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, were struggling to pay rent, so they put an air mattress in their living room and listed it online during a conference. They even called it “AirBed & Breakfast.”
It turned out, people loved the idea of affordable lodging that felt homey. With that validation, they built the platform we know today, expanding to include entire homes, quirky stays like treehouses, and luxury properties. Amazing how it all started with an air mattress!
3. Dropbox
This one’s clever. Dropbox didn’t actually build their product right away. Instead, they made a short video explaining how their file-sharing service would work, syncing files across devices seamlessly.
That video was a hit! Overnight, they got 70,000 people to sign up. It was the perfect way to confirm that people wanted the service before sinking time and money into development. Smart, right? This makes it one of the best MVP examples in the list.
Related: Top SaaS MVP Examples
4. Zappos
When Zappos started, Nick Swinmurn wasn’t sure if people would even want to buy shoes online. So he went to local shoe stores, took pictures of their inventory, and posted them on a basic website.
Whenever someone bought a pair, Nick would go back to the store, buy the shoes, and ship them himself. It wasn’t scalable, but it showed there was a real market for online shoe shopping. Eventually, Zappos became a giant, and Amazon bought them for billions!
5. Groupon
Groupon’s start is kind of funny. It was just a simple WordPress blog where they posted daily deals. The founders would manually email coupons to customers and handle all the transactions themselves.
But people loved the group discount concept, so they stuck with it and built an automated system. From there, it exploded into a huge business. It was a very simple yet effective MVP launch strategy and a proof that you don’t need fancy tech to test an idea!
6. Buffer
Buffer’s MVP was literally just a landing page. It explained the idea of scheduling social media posts and had a pricing section. When people clicked on the pricing, they’d see a message saying, “The product’s not ready yet, but leave your email!”
This was genius because it let the founders gauge interest without building anything. Once they had enough feedback, they went all in, and Buffer is now a leading social media tool.
7. Foursquare
Remember when Foursquare was all about check-ins? That was their MVP, just letting users share their location with friends and earn badges for visiting places. It was super simple but kind of addictive.
People got hooked on the gamification, and the company used their feedback to add features over time. Now, it’s a full-on local search and discovery platform, but it all started with a little check-in feature.
8. Twitter
Twitter actually started as a tool for employees at a podcasting company called Odeo. It was a way to share short updates with each other via SMS, and it was originally called “twttr.”
When they realized how fun and simple it was, they opened it to the public. The idea of micro-blogging caught on quickly, and now Twitter is one of the biggest platforms for real-time communication. Crazy how something so simple can scale like that.
9. Instagram
Instagram wasn’t always the app we know today. It started as Burbn, which had a bunch of features like checking in at locations and earning points. But the founders noticed people were mostly using it to share photos.
So, they stripped away everything else and focused just on photo sharing with filters. It was a huge hit! Millions of people joined in no time, and now it’s one of the biggest social media platforms ever.
10. Spotify
Spotify is a perfect example of starting small. Their MVP was a free desktop app with a limited music library. The focus was on making streaming super smooth and user-friendly.
People loved the experience, and that gave Spotify the confidence to negotiate with music labels and expand their library. Today, it’s the leader in music streaming, but they made sure the basics worked first.
11. WhatsApp
WhatsApp didn’t even start as a messaging app. It was just a status-updating app, like, “Hey, I’m at the gym” or “Available.” But the founders noticed people were using it to communicate, so they pivoted to messaging.
Their MVP was super basic: no ads, no frills, just a clean interface for chatting. Turns out, that’s exactly what people wanted, and now it’s one of the most popular messaging platforms worldwide.
12. Pinterest
Pinterest didn’t start out as Pinterest. It was actually called “Tote” and was meant to be a shopping app. The problem? People weren’t really buying, they were just saving and sharing stuff they liked.
The founders realized the pinboard-style layout was what people loved most, so they leaned into that. Now it’s the go-to platform for ideas, inspiration, and creativity. Pretty cool pivot, huh?
13. Snapchat
Snapchat’s MVP was called “Picaboo,” and it let users send photos that disappeared after a few seconds. At first, people thought it was just a quirky idea, but younger users loved how it made communication feel less permanent.
This idea of “ephemeral” communication caught on, and Snapchat expanded with Stories, filters, and other fun features. It’s now a massive player in the social media world.
14. Slack
Slack wasn’t even supposed to be a product. It started as a communication tool for a gaming company called Tiny Speck. The game didn’t work out, but the team realized the messaging tool was super useful.
They turned it into Slack, focusing on simple team communication and file sharing. Feedback from early adopters helped them refine it into the powerhouse collaboration tool it is today.
15. Etsy
Etsy began as a basic online marketplace for crafters and artists. The founders wanted to create a place where people could sell handmade and vintage goods, which wasn’t really a thing back then.
The MVP was simple- just a way to connect buyers and sellers. Over time, they added features like analytics, seller tools, and marketing options, making Etsy the go-to platform for unique, handcrafted items.
Conclusion
These 15 MVP examples showcase that some of the world’s most influential companies didn’t start with fully polished products or grand-scale launches. Instead, they began with a clear vision, a basic prototype, and a willingness to learn from their users.
The key takeaway? It’s not about being perfect—it’s about starting, iterating, and letting real feedback shape your product.
Whether you’re dreaming of disrupting an industry or solving a niche problem, the best way to start is by building something tangible, testing it, and learning from real users.
That’s where we come in. Our MVP development services are designed to help you take that first crucial step, turning your vision into a lean, functional product that’s ready to make an impact.
Let’s work together to bring your idea to life and set it on the path to success
Who knows? Your next simple idea might just become the next big thing.
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