Software development for startups: FAQ
31questions across 6 topics
Services
What does MPN Group do for startups?
We build and grow digital products: MVPs, SaaS, mobile and web apps, AI features, SEO, paid ads and growth. The group brings together three brands, My Web Lab, Giallo Studio and Athleex, so product, AI and marketing sit in the same team. The full list is on our services page.
How do MPN Group, My Web Lab, Giallo Studio and Athleex fit together?
MPN Group is the Milan-based group that runs three brands. My Web Lab is the web agency (custom websites and web apps in Next.js, SEO, Google Ads), Giallo Studio the AI agency for Italian SMEs, and Athleex our own SaaS for personal trainers and coaches. More on our about page.
Should I hire an agency, freelancers or an in-house team?
It depends on your stage. A freelancer suits a well-defined task, an agency suits work that needs several skills at once and a team accountable for delivery, and an in-house team makes sense once the product is the core of the business with a steady flow of work. Many startups begin with an outside partner plus technical leadership, such as a fractional CTO, and hire later.
Can you take over a prototype built with Lovable, Bolt or vibe coding?
Yes, it's work we do: we start with a code review, then sort out security, data, payments and performance. Sometimes it pays to keep most of the prototype, sometimes to rewrite the critical parts; we decide once we've read it. The route is set out on prototype to production.
Do you handle the website and marketing as well as the product?
Yes. My Web Lab looks after websites, SEO and Google Ads campaigns, and the people building the product are in the same group, so tracking and pages are built together. See startup website and startup SEO.
Do you work with founders outside Italy?
Yes: we work in English and Italian, from Milan, with founders across Italy and Europe. For Italy-specific topics such as the innovative startup status, our glossary explains the essentials for founders from abroad.
Cost and timelines
How much does it cost to build an MVP?
It depends on scope: platforms, sign-in, payments, integrations, AI features and bespoke design outweigh every other choice. We don't publish a price list: we first understand the project on a call, then send a written proposal. On pricing and timelines a configurator shows which factors push effort and duration up.
How long does it take to build an MVP?
There's no standard duration, and we don't promise dates before we know the scope. Native apps, payments, integrations with other systems and sensitive data stretch it the most. The duration goes into the proposal; meanwhile our MVP development page explains how we build one.
Fixed price or paying by the day?
A fixed price tied to a fixed scope suits you when you know what to build and need a firm budget, as with a first MVP. Paying by the day suits you when there are many unknowns and priorities keep moving. The pros and cons of each engagement model are on pricing and timelines.
How much does it cost to maintain an app after launch?
There are running costs: servers, third-party services, app store accounts, and updates for each new version of iOS and Android. Some Italian agencies put maintenance at 15–25% of the build cost a year: a market estimate, not a rule. The real figure depends on how many platforms and integrations you have, as we explain on app development.
What should I check in a software development quote?
Look first at what it includes and what it leaves out, then the phases, the engagement model and who decides when things change. A quote with just a figure and a date, and no written scope, is the riskiest one even when it looks the cheapest. The questions worth asking are on pricing and timelines.
How we work together
How do you work with a startup, step by step?
In five phases: understand the problem, decide what goes into version one, build in short releases, launch with measurement, grow on real numbers. For each phase you know what happens, what you get and who's involved: it's all on our method page.
Can we see progress while you build?
Yes: we work in short releases, and each release has a goal and a number to watch. You always have a test version to try instead of waiting for a handover at the end. The release rhythm is described in the Build phase of our method.
How do we get started?
Get in touch through our contact page, by email at info@mpngroup.it or by phone: we reply within one business day. We set up a call about your goal, users and constraints, then send a written proposal.
We already have an in-house team. Can you work with them?
Yes. We can work alongside them on part of the product, on design or on growth, or provide part-time technical leadership. In that case the right model is often a fractional CTO.
If I switch vendors mid-project, how much do I lose?
It depends on how the code was written and what you were handed: access, repository, documentation. The first step is always a technical review that says what can stay and what needs redoing. It's the same work we do when a prototype has to go to production.
Technology and code ownership
Which technologies do you build with?
Our stack is Next.js, React and TypeScript, with PostgreSQL for data, Capacitor for iOS and Android apps, and n8n and AI agents for automation. We use it for our own products too: Athleex is built this way. Why we choose it, and when we don't, is on our technologies page.
Web app, native app or PWA: which should I choose?
A web app or PWA is the quickest way onto every device; a store app earns its place when reliable notifications, in-app purchases or a store presence matter. For Athleex we built the iOS and Android apps on the same web codebase, with Capacitor. More on custom web apps.
Do you build iOS and Android apps?
Yes, from a single codebase, through to release on the App Store and Google Play. We know Apple's review from the inside: one Athleex release was rejected over the in-app purchase rules, and we got it through by integrating StoreKit 2. The whole route is on app development.
Do I own the source code at the end of the project?
The contract decides that, not habit, so it needs writing down before work starts. With any vendor, us included, check that the contract assigns the rights to the code, gives you access to the repository and to service credentials, and includes basic documentation. If you're unsure about the clauses, ask a lawyer; to get going, talk to us.
Will the code hold up as the product grows?
That comes down to the early choices: architecture, database, how customer data is kept apart. That's why, in our process, the stack is chosen in the Decide phase, before any code gets written. How we handle a growing platform is on our scale-up page.
What is vibe coding, and can it go to production?
It means building software by describing what you want to an AI and accepting the code it produces. It's fine for a prototype; production needs review, tests, security and proper data handling. In the 2025 Stack Overflow survey around 46% of developers said they distrust the accuracy of AI tools. See prototype to production.
Artificial intelligence
What are AI agents, and what can they do for my startup?
They're software built on language models that use tools and take actions: answering customers, routing requests, updating the CRM, drafting documents. We build them with Giallo Studio, the group's AI agency. Examples and limits are on our AI agents page.
What does it cost to use an AI model inside the product?
On top of development you pay for API usage, which grows with the number of requests and the length of the text. You keep it in check by matching the model to each task, trimming what you send and tracking cost per user. More on AI for startups.
Does the EU AI Act apply to my startup?
It depends on what your system does: obligations grow with risk. The amending regulation (EU) 2026/1744 moved the high-risk obligations to 2 December 2027 and 2 August 2028; transparency duties apply from 2 August 2026. This isn't legal advice: check with a professional, and see AI for startups.
Will my customers' data end up training AI models?
It depends on the provider, the contract and how the product is built: many business plans let you keep your data out of training. GDPR applies either way, so you need a lawful basis, privacy notices and carefully chosen vendors. We make these technical choices at the start, as explained on AI for startups.
Startups in Italy
What is an Italian innovative startup, and what are the requirements?
It's an unlisted limited company under five years old, developing high-tech products or services and entered in a special section of the business register (startup innovativa). Among the requirements: no distributed profits and at least one innovation test, such as R&D spending of at least 15% of costs or production value, whichever is higher (source: MIMIT, the Italian ministry). Short definition in our glossary.
Can a non-Italian founder set up an innovative startup in Italy?
Yes: according to MIMIT the company must be resident in Italy, or be based in another EU/EEA country with a site or branch in Italy. The other requirements are the same as for Italian founders. For the paperwork, work with an Italian accountant or lawyer; the funding side is covered on our pre-seed page.
Can a software house or agency be an innovative startup?
Generally not: according to MIMIT the main activity can't be consulting or agency services. That's why MPN Group isn't an innovative startup, while many of the founders we work with can be. Ask an accountant about your own case; the stages of a startup are laid out on our startups page.
Can Smart&Start Italia fund software development?
Yes: eligible costs include IT development, specialist consulting and marketing. It's an interest-free loan for innovative startups covering 80% of eligible costs, for business plans from €100,000 to €1.5 million (MIMIT, updated September 2026). How to prepare is covered on our pre-seed page.
Does GDPR apply to a small startup?
Yes: GDPR applies to anyone processing personal data of people in the EU, whatever their size, and fines can reach €20 million or 4% of turnover. For a startup it pays to build it into the product from the start: access, minimal data, vendors, privacy notices. This isn't legal advice; in our method sensitive data is dealt with as early as the Understand phase.
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