MVP Development Services for Fintech and Insurtech Startups
You have one workflow to test with real users: a loan application, a quote, a claim. We scope the first release in a week, build it in about four on Java and Spring Boot, and hand you the code with a list of what to build next.
Experience building and launching products
- 8 weeks
- from contract to a live Core Travel Insurance platformAn Openkoda platform implementation, a different kind of project from a custom MVPInsurance platform case study
- Acquired
- by GetResponse in December 2022Recostream, the recommendation product we built in-houseRecostream case study
- 20-30 ms
- per recommendation in RecostreamMeasured as the product developedRecostream case study
- Best fit
- Fintech and insurtech teams with one defined workflow to test with real users
- Scoping
- One week to agree the first release, its acceptance criteria and the delivery plan
- Build target
- Four weeks after scope and access are ready, with working software every week
- Commercial model
- Fixed quote for scoping; the build is billed time and materials against a ballpark
How we turn your startup idea into a working first release
One complete workflow on foundations you can keep, so real users can test your idea fast.
A complete user journey
The task that tests your business assumption: an application, a quote, a case or another workflow from your domain. We agree who the users are and what feedback you need from them.
Application foundations
A data model, sign-in, user roles and the audit events that matter, plus the API and a practical web interface for the agreed workflow.
A usable deployment
Code in your repository and the application running in your cloud account, with basic monitoring, documentation and a handover.
Clear boundaries
Native mobile apps, extensive branding and further workflows are outside the first build. External integrations, and whether they are ready, are agreed during scoping.
Stratoflow delivered the website successfully within the timeframe and budget. They assured that the output met the set requirements. Overall, the team's performance was excellent and recommended for their exceptional technical business expertise. They've been able to deliver all of their work on time and within budget, which has been very impressive.
What makes a fintech MVP different from a prototype
A fintech or insurtech MVP handles money or policies from its first customer, and that changes what “minimum” means.
Can the audit trail wait for version two? Usually not. A partner bank or an insurer’s compliance team is likely to ask who changed what and when before real customers are let in. So the first release carries user roles, audit events and a data model you can extend, even when the screens are plain.
This is why we build MVPs on Java and Spring Boot from the start. The code you test with your first users is the code you keep building on.
How MVP development runs: a week of scoping, four of building
A week of scoping and about four weeks of building, with working software every week.
Scoping week
We map the workflow, data, user roles and acceptance criteria, find the dependencies, and write the build scope, quote and delivery plan.
First build increments
The core workflow and data model come first. You see working software every week, so your domain expert can answer questions as they come up.
Test with intended users
Then we finish the agreed interface and integrations, and test the user journey, controls and failure cases with the people who will use it every day.
Release and hand over
Finally, the release goes live once the acceptance criteria are met, and you get the code, documentation and a prioritized backlog with rough estimates.
Our projects
- Flagship · Ecommerce · 2019 to 2022
Recostream: the recommendation engine we built and GetResponse bought
An AI recommendation engine for ecommerce and content platforms, built in-house, recommendations in 20 to 30 milliseconds, acquired in December 2022.
Acquired by GetResponse, Dec 2022
- Flagship · Insurance · 2026
Openkoda: Core Travel Insurance live in eight weeks, SkyGuard on the same platform
Stratoflow as implementation partner for the Openkoda insurance platform: a travel insurer from contract to production in eight weeks, and a life and aviation specialty insurer.
8 weeks to production
- Flagship · Banking and fintech · from 2013
FastPost: a billion financial transactions in under an hour
FastPost, a rule-driven, high-performance accounting platform developed for Legerity by Stratoflow from 2013, used by telcos and insurers worldwide.
1,000,000,000 transactions / hour
When an existing product is the better start
A custom MVP makes sense when your idea can only be tested through your own software. If an existing product already covers the workflow, implementing it is usually faster. For insurance, that can be Openkoda, the policy administration system built by our sister company.
Four weeks is the build target after scoping, not a promise. Missing data, a third party's approval or a growing workflow can move it, and the scoping output shows those risks before you commit.
Questions founders ask about MVP development
How much does an MVP cost?
Scoping has a fixed quote; the build is billed time and materials against a ballpark estimate. The estimate follows the agreed workflow, integrations and acceptance criteria. It is a plan for that scope, and an undefined product will not fit into four weeks.
Will it meet regulatory requirements?
We implement the agreed technical controls, including roles and audit events where needed. Your legal and compliance advisers determine the requirements for your business and review them with the team. Software delivery does not itself provide authorization or certification.
What happens after the first release?
You keep the code and can continue with your own team. We can also quote a further phase or provide team extension. The handover includes known limitations and priorities informed by user feedback.
Is this right for a mobile-first consumer product?
Our focus is Java platforms and business workflows. Native mobile development and brand-led consumer apps need a different team, and we will tell you so in the first conversation.
Why build a startup MVP in Java?
Because fintech and insurtech products handle money, policies and audit trails from the first customer. Java and Spring give you transactions, security and engineers you can hire, so the MVP does not have to be rebuilt once the product finds its market. If a lighter stack fits your product better, we will say so during scoping.
How do we choose an MVP development company?
Ask to see something the company has launched, and who built it. Then ask what you will hold at the end: the code in your own repository, the cloud account in your name and documentation another team could pick up. We built Recostream as our own product and sold it to GetResponse in 2022, and our MVP builds end with the code and the cloud account in your hands.
Startup guides from our engineers
- Custom Software
Minimum Viable Product (MVP): What It Is, Why It Matters, MVP vs POC
What an MVP is, why it matters to investors in 2026, MVP vs POC, and where an MVP lands in a software project.
- Custom Software
Software Development for Startups: How to Outsource Your First Product in 2026
What a startup should keep in-house, put in writing and own from day one when it outsources its first product, with three startups that did it well.
- Custom Software
How to Start a SaaS Company in 2026: The Model, 10 Steps and the Role of AI
What SaaS is, its risks, ten detailed steps to launch, and how far vibe coding can take a founder in 2026.
Scope your first product release
Bring the workflow, the intended users and the question the first release needs to answer. We will assess whether the MVP approach fits.