The verdict in three sentences
An employee bike leasing B2B SaaS MVP can be built in 2026 for 30,000 to 55,000 EUR excl. VAT, in 10 to 14 weeks, with a team of 2 developers and 1 designer. The winning scope fits in three areas (HR, employee, workshop) with recurring billing delegated to Stripe Billing rather than built in-house. With a public grant such as the French Bourse French Tech from Bpifrance, up to 30,000 EUR, or Dutch innovation schemes, the founder's own share can drop below 25,000 EUR.
The market and what the MVP must prove
Employee bike leasing grows on the back of tax incentives: the sustainable mobility allowance in France, and the favourable treatment of lease bikes in the Netherlands, where the business bike scheme (fiets van de zaak) has made Amsterdam one of Europe's most mature markets. National competitors already exist; your MVP must prove two things to an investor or a grant body: that HR teams adopt the tool in under an hour and that margin per bike stays positive once maintenance is included.
So the MVP must not do everything. It must let a company subscribe, let employees choose a bike and report a breakdown, and let the partner workshop schedule services. The rest (native app, accessories marketplace, built-in insurance) waits for version 2.
Detailed budget by building block
| MVP building block | Key features | Indicative cost (excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Product design and prototype | Journeys, mock-ups, tests with 5 HR users | 4,000 to 7,000 EUR |
| Multi-company core | Accounts, roles, employee invitations | 5,000 to 9,000 EUR |
| HR area | Catalogue, budget, approval, payroll export | 6,000 to 11,000 EUR |
| Employee area | Bike choice, contract, breakdown reporting | 5,000 to 9,000 EUR |
| Workshop area | Service planning, interventions, parts stock | 4,000 to 8,000 EUR |
| Stripe Billing | Per-bike subscriptions, invoices, dunning | 3,000 to 6,000 EUR |
| E-signature and documents | Lease agreements | 1,500 to 3,000 EUR |
| QA and production launch | Tests, monitoring, documentation | 1,500 to 2,000 EUR |
Total: 30,000 to 55,000 EUR excl. VAT. The low end assumes a simple catalogue and one partner workshop; the high end, several workshops, per-company budget rules and export to 2 payroll packages.
Recurring costs and funding
| Item | 2026 order of magnitude | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting and database | 150 to 400 EUR per month | European cloud, backups included |
| Stripe Billing | 0.7 % of billed volume | On top of card or SEPA debit fees |
| Stripe SEPA Direct Debit | About 0.35 EUR per transaction | Cheaper than cards in B2B |
| E-signature | 50 to 150 EUR per month | Depending on contract volume |
| Ongoing development | 1,500 to 3,000 EUR per month | 2 to 5 development days |
| Bpifrance French Tech grant | Up to 30,000 EUR | Grant, application via Bpifrance and an incubator |
The French Tech grant funds service and prototyping costs for startups under one year old at application. Payment is split: an advance at the start, the balance on receipts. So plan the cash to advance part of the invoices.
Mini case study
Julien, founder of a bike leasing startup, targets 25 client companies and 400 bikes within 12 months. Chosen MVP: 44,000 EUR excl. VAT in 12 weeks. French Tech grant obtained: 30,000 EUR, leaving 14,000 EUR to fund himself. Each bike is billed 75 EUR excl. VAT per month, maintenance included, for a full cost (depreciation, workshop, insurance) of 58 EUR. Margin: 17 EUR per bike per month. With 400 bikes, monthly margin reaches 6,800 EUR, enough to cover hosting, Stripe and ongoing development (about 2,900 EUR per month) and recoup his MVP share in 4 months at full run rate.
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FAQ
Why not build recurring billing ourselves?
Proration, credit notes, dunning and VAT take 15 to 25 development days, or 9,000 to 15,000 EUR. Stripe Billing handles them for 0.7 % of billed volume, which stays worthwhile up to several million euros of revenue.
No-code or custom code for the MVP?
No-code costs 10,000 to 20,000 EUR but quickly hits limits on multi-company setups and budget rules. For a B2B SaaS aiming to raise funds, clean Next.js and PostgreSQL code avoids a 60,000 EUR rewrite a year later.
How long does the French Tech grant take?
Allow 1 to 3 months from application to decision, with support from an incubator. Expenses committed before applying are generally not eligible.
Do we need a mobile app from day one?
No. An installable web app is enough for employees to report a breakdown with a photo. A native app would add 15,000 to 30,000 EUR to the budget.
Who owns the code and data?
The startup. The contract assigns all rights and the code is delivered to your Git repository, a condition often checked during fundraising.
Let's scope your project. Describe your leasing model, first clients and partner workshops: we scope an MVP between 30,000 and 55,000 EUR excl. VAT, deliverable in 10 to 14 weeks and compatible with a 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.
