The verdict in three sentences
A serious B2B SaaS MVP, with one core feature, Stripe billing and simple multi-tenancy, costs EUR 30,000 to 70,000 excluding VAT in 2026. Building an in-house team for the same result costs around EUR 25,000 a month in London or Paris, so EUR 75,000 over a quarter before the first customer. Public grants such as France's Bourse French Tech (up to EUR 30,000) or UK Innovate UK schemes can fund a significant share of version 1 if you apply before committing spend.
What a 12-week B2B SaaS MVP really contains
The classic trap for non-technical founders is confusing an MVP with a complete version 1. For a seed round, investors want paying customers on one precise use case, not a feature catalogue. The useful scope fits into five blocks.
| Functional block | Minimum content | Share of budget | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoping and mockups | Workshops, user journeys, Figma prototype | 8 to 10% | 1 to 2 |
| Core feature | The business flow that justifies the subscription | 40 to 45% | 3 to 8 |
| Accounts and simple multi-tenancy | Organisations, admin/member roles, shared database with tenant ID | 12 to 15% | 3 to 5 |
| Stripe billing | Subscriptions, free trial, invoices, customer portal | 8 to 10% | 7 to 9 |
| Back office and analytics | Internal dashboard, activation tracking | 8 to 10% | 9 to 10 |
| QA, security, go-live | Tests, backups, GDPR, monitoring | 12 to 15% | 10 to 12 |
Everything outside this frame (mobile app, ERP integrations, generative AI, extension marketplace) goes into the post-raise roadmap. Each feature added to the MVP costs on average EUR 4,000 to 8,000 and one to two extra weeks.
Agency, freelancers or in-house team: the numbers
In-house cost must be calculated fully loaded: a senior full-stack developer costs around EUR 8,500 a month with employer charges, a product designer EUR 6,000, a tech lead EUR 10,000. You quickly reach EUR 25,000 a month, not counting 2 to 4 months of hiring time.
| Option | Cost for a 12-week MVP | Time to start | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-house team (3 profiles) | EUR 75,000 + hiring | 2 to 4 months | Failed hire before the raise |
| Freelancers coordinated by the founder | EUR 35,000 to 60,000 | 2 to 4 weeks | Coordination, uneven quality |
| London or Paris agency | EUR 50,000 to 90,000 | 2 to 3 weeks | High price, turnover |
| Nearshore French-speaking agency (Dakar, Tunis) | EUR 30,000 to 55,000 | 1 to 2 weeks | Remote scoping needs care |
| No-code (Bubble, Softr) | EUR 8,000 to 20,000 | 1 week | Technical ceiling, rewrite later |
For a non-technical founder, a fixed-price agency remains the most predictable option: fixed price on fixed scope, dated deliverables, source code and cloud access in the startup's name from day one. Check that last point in the contract before signing.
Financing the MVP with the Bourse French Tech
Founders with a French entity can apply to Bpifrance's Bourse French Tech (BFT), aimed at high-potential startups less than a year old. It is a grant, not a loan, capped at EUR 30,000 and 70% of eligible expenses. External development services qualify, provided the quote is dated after the application is filed.
| Item | 2026 order of magnitude |
|---|---|
| Maximum amount | EUR 30,000 |
| Coverage rate | Up to 70% of eligible expenses |
| Review time | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Payment | About 70% at signature, balance on receipts |
| Eligible expenses | Development services, prototyping, IP, studies |
| Can be combined with | Seed loan, Réseau Entreprendre or Initiative honour loans |
The ideal timeline: file the BFT application in week 0, scope with the agency during review, start development on approval. The agency's itemised quote serves directly as supporting evidence.
Mini case study
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Léa, founder of a startup automating expense management for accounting firms, splits her time between London and Paris and targets an EUR 800,000 seed round in six months. She compares two scenarios.
In-house: EUR 25,000 a month for 3 months of development, plus 3 months of part-time hiring, about EUR 75,000 and delivery at 6 months. Fixed-price agency: MVP at EUR 48,000 in 12 weeks. With a EUR 30,000 Bourse French Tech grant through her French entity, her net cost drops to EUR 18,000. She saves EUR 57,000 and meets investors with 8 pilot firms paying EUR 149 a month, an MRR of EUR 1,192, a far stronger signal than a mockup.
FAQ
How much does a B2B SaaS MVP cost in 2026?
Budget EUR 30,000 to 70,000 excluding VAT for one core feature, simple multi-tenancy and Stripe billing, delivered in 10 to 12 weeks. Beyond EUR 90,000, the scope usually exceeds an MVP.
Can the Bourse French Tech pay an agency?
Yes, external development services are eligible expenses, up to 70% and EUR 30,000 maximum. The quote must be dated after the application to count.
Do I need multi-tenancy from the MVP?
Simple multi-tenancy, a shared database with an organisation ID, adds about 12 to 15% to the budget and avoids a costly rebuild at 20 customers. Dedicated databases per customer can wait for the first enterprise accounts.
Who owns the code?
The contract must assign all economic rights and set up a Git repository in the startup's name from the first sprint. Investors check this in due diligence.
What happens after the MVP?
Most startups plan evolutive maintenance of EUR 3,000 to 8,000 a month until they hire a CTO, then a gradual handover of the code to the in-house team.
Let's scope your project. We scope your SaaS MVP (core feature, Stripe, multi-tenancy) on a EUR 30,000 to 55,000 basis over 12 weeks, with an itemised quote ready for your grant application. 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.
