The verdict in three sentences
A B2B SaaS MVP deliverable in 12 weeks in London should be budgeted at EUR 35,000 to 90,000 excl. VAT in 2026, with a lean team of three at EUR 550 to 750 day rates. The budget depends less on the number of screens than on three structural blocks: multi-tenancy, Stripe billing and integrations. Before a seed round, an agency or studio is often faster and less risky than a salaried CTO hired in a rush.
What a fundable MVP actually contains
Seed investors do not fund a clickable prototype: they want to see paying customers, even a few. A credible MVP therefore contains a complete value loop, from sign-up to payment, plus a dashboard that proves usage.
| Building block | Effort (days) | Indicative 2026 cost (EUR excl. VAT) | Essential for seed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authentication, organisations, roles | 8 to 12 | 5,000 to 8,500 | Yes |
| Multi-tenant architecture (data isolation) | 6 to 10 | 4,000 to 7,000 | Yes |
| Core feature (the problem solved) | 25 to 50 | 15,000 to 35,000 | Yes |
| Stripe billing (subscriptions, trials, VAT) | 5 to 8 | 3,000 to 5,500 | Yes |
| Dashboard and usage metrics | 5 to 10 | 3,000 to 7,000 | Yes |
| Integrations (Slack, HubSpot, Google) | 5 to 15 | 3,000 to 10,000 | Depends on market |
| Onboarding, transactional emails | 4 to 6 | 2,500 to 4,500 | Recommended |
| Product design and mockups | 8 to 15 | 4,500 to 10,000 | Yes |
With a team of three (one senior full-stack developer, one developer, one part-time product designer) over 12 weeks, you use 90 to 130 person-days, which is EUR 50,000 to 90,000 excl. VAT at London day rates. A very tight scope can go down to EUR 35,000.
Salaried CTO, agency or no-code: the honest comparison
| Option | Cost over 12 weeks | Time to start | Main risk | Technical debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salaried CTO (EUR 70,000/year gross) | EUR 25,000 to 30,000 loaded + equity | 2 to 4 months of hiring | Bad hire, late MVP | Low if senior |
| Agency or studio (team of 3) | EUR 50,000 to 90,000 excl. VAT | 2 to 3 weeks | Vendor dependency | Low to medium |
| Solo freelancer (EUR 600/day) | EUR 30,000 to 40,000 excl. VAT | 1 to 3 weeks | Unavailability, bus factor | Medium |
| No-code (Bubble, Softr, Xano) | EUR 8,000 to 25,000 | 1 week | Multi-tenant and performance limits | High, likely rewrite |
| Offshore team | EUR 20,000 to 45,000 excl. VAT | 2 to 4 weeks | Communication, variable quality | Variable |
| Nearshore team in Dakar or Tunis | EUR 25,000 to 50,000 excl. VAT | 2 weeks | Compatible time zone, needs steering | Low to medium |
The salaried CTO looks cheaper, but hiring time often makes you miss the fundraising window. No-code suits market validation, rarely a multi-tenant B2B SaaS that will sell to companies demanding SSO and security.
The 12-week plan that holds
Weeks 1 and 2: scoping, user journeys, mockups, stack choice (Next.js, PostgreSQL, Stripe). Weeks 3 to 8: development in two-week sprints with a customer demo at the end of each sprint. Weeks 9 and 10: billing, onboarding, dashboard. Weeks 11 and 12: acceptance testing, baseline security, go-live and onboarding of the first five pilot customers. Any feature added after week 4 must replace another one.
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Mini case study
Claire, founder of a London startup managing supplier compliance, is targeting a EUR 1.5M raise in six months. She has three pilot customers ready to pay EUR 400 a month. CTO option: four months of hiring, then four months of development, meaning an MVP in month 8, too late. Studio option: EUR 68,000 excl. VAT for 115 person-days, MVP delivered in week 12.
In month 4 her three pilots pay, then eight customers by month 6, which is EUR 3,200 MRR and EUR 38,400 ARR to show. At a prudent seed multiple, this proven traction weighs far more than the EUR 68,000 spent. She then hires a CTO with an existing product and documented code to take over.
FAQ
Can you really ship a B2B SaaS in 12 weeks? Yes, if scope is limited to one core feature and decisions are made in under 48 hours. Projects that drift add on average 30 to 50% more features along the way.
Who owns the code built by the agency? The contract must provide full assignment of rights on delivery and access to the Git repository from day one. Investors check this during due diligence.
Is multi-tenancy mandatory from the MVP? For B2B SaaS, yes: rewriting data isolation later costs 2 to 3 times more. A tenant_id column and database-level security policies are enough to start.
How much should we plan after the MVP? Count EUR 6,000 to 15,000 excl. VAT per month to keep the iteration pace until the raise, or a gradual handover to the future CTO.
Can a nearshore team reduce the budget? A team run from Dakar or Tunis cuts costs by 30 to 45% with a time zone compatible with London. Quality depends on product ownership on the founder's side.
Let's scope your project. Describe your core feature and your fundraising date: we will price a 12-week MVP with scope, team and indicative budget. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
