What is the difference between a proof of concept and an MVP?

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A proof of concept and an MVP are two distinct stages in product development, and confusing them is one of the most common and expensive mistakes founders make. A proof of concept (POC) comes first. It answers one question: is this idea feasible? It's a narrow, focused test of the core assumption, built to validate that the concept works before any significant investment is made. An MVP (minimum viable product) comes later. It's the simplest version of the product that real users can actually use. An MVP is built knowing the concept already works. The question it answers is what's the minimum needed to get real users and real feedback from the market. The sequence matters. CB Insights looked at 431 venture backed companies that shut down from 2023 onwards and could pin down why 385 of them failed. Poor product market fit accounted for 43%, and two thirds of those never found a market at all. That is the risk of skipping the proof of concept stage and building an MVP on assumptions rather than evidence. An MVP costs significantly more to build than a POC. Getting the order wrong is expensive. Getting the order right used to require significant time and budget: a proper POC phase could take weeks and cost thousands before the MVP work even began. For most early stage founders it simply wasn't realistic. That's no longer the case. The POC and prototype phases can now be combined into a single fast sprint, something that validates the concept and demonstrates the experience at the same time, in days rather than weeks. Build the proof first. Then build the MVP knowing it's worth building. Read our full guide to proof of concept in software development → Read our guide to MVPs → Talk to us about your idea →