MVP Agency Scorecard

Score every candidate on the same set of factors instead of comparing them on gut feel. The eight that matter most are: MVP/startup track record, fixed scope and price, senior engineers, code and IP ownership, speed with discipline, process transparency, communication and fit, and post-launch support. Weight the first four highest — they are the deal-breakers — then compare weighted totals. This scorecard does that math for you.

Four factors carry the most weight: a real MVP/startup track record you can verify, a fixed scope and price agreed before any work, named senior engineers who actually build it, and contractual code and IP ownership so the product is yours. A weak score on any one of these usually outweighs a strong score elsewhere, because they are what decide whether you end up with a fundable product or a costly rebuild.

Each factor is scored 1–5 and multiplied by its weight: high-weight (deal-breaker) factors count 3×, medium factors 2×, and the lowest-weight factor 1×. The weighted scores are summed into a total out of 95 and shown as a percentage, so the agencies that clear the factors that actually matter rank highest — even if a weaker agency scores well on nice-to-haves.

The three that should stop you cold: no code ownership (you must clearly receive and own the code), fixed-price in name only (a “fixed” quote that balloons through change orders), and no verifiable case studies (no live products you can actually open). If a candidate scores low on the ownership or fixed-scope factors in this scorecard, treat it as a walk-away signal. See our guide on MVP agency red flags for the full list.

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