A minimum viable product (MVP) is the smallest version of a product that solves the core problem well enough for real users to use it and give feedback.
"Minimum" means cutting every feature that isn't needed to solve the main problem. "Viable" means what's left still has to work and be worth using; a broken demo isn't an MVP.
An MVP can be software, but it can also be a spreadsheet, a manual service or a landing page with a waitlist. The point is to learn whether people want it before spending months building.
Why it matters for a launch
Launching an MVP early gets you real feedback while changes are still cheap. Most first launches on launch platforms are MVPs, and that's expected.
Read more: How to validate a startup idea