Product Strategy Consultants for MVPs

Building an MVP without product strategy is like driving without a map. You'll move fast, but probably in the wrong direction. Most wasted development budgets trace back to the same root cause: the team built the wrong thing.

A good product strategy consultant helps you figure out what to build before you write a line of code. Here are 8 options for startups — ranked by their relevance for MVP development.

1. Eight Bit Studios

Location: Chicago & Dallas, USA

Best for: Non-technical founders who need product strategy and a team that can actually build the MVP.

Eight Bit Studios offers product strategy as part of an integrated service — strategy, design, and development under one roof. This means your strategist isn't just writing a deck and handing it off. They're working alongside designers and developers to ship the product they helped define.

Product strategy engagements start with discovery: understanding your market, users, and business model. Then we scope the MVP — ruthlessly cutting features to the smallest thing that validates your hypothesis. We've shipped 100+ products over 15+ years, so we know what works at each stage.

• Approach: Integrated strategy + design + development
• MVP expertise: 15+ years, 100+ products shipped, Inc. 5000 four consecutive years
• Other services: UI/UX design, Flutter + Rails development, fractional CTO
• Notable clients: Vivid Seats, Allstate, Cars.com, Field Museum, BenchPrep
• Pricing: Project-based, typically $30K-$75K for strategy + MVP build

Learn more about our product strategy services

2. Goji Labs

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Best for: Funded startups that need end-to-end product strategy through MVP launch with an agency that has a strong funding track record.

Goji Labs combines product strategy consulting with development execution. Their clients have collectively raised over $1 billion in funding. They've launched 400+ digital products over 10+ years, with notable results like Huupe (Shark Tank appearance) and Pocket (secured $11M after Goji-led improvements).

• Approach: Problem framing, user research, product roadmapping, MVP definition, prototyping, validation
• MVP expertise: 400+ products, strong fundraising track record
• Notable clients: Huupe, Pocket, The Word App, Mindr
• Tradeoffs: $25K minimum engagement. Full-service pricing means you pay for the full stack.
• Pricing: $25K+ per project, $100-$149/hr

3. Toptal (Fractional Product Managers)

Location: Remote (San Francisco HQ)

Best for: Startups that want to plug in a senior product manager or fractional CPO quickly for a specific initiative — MVP scoping, pricing strategy, or go-to-market planning.

Toptal is a talent marketplace that matches you with vetted product managers from their "top 3%" network. You're hiring an individual, not a firm — which gives you flexibility but means roadmap continuity is your responsibility.

• Approach: Talent matching — interview and select your own PM
• MVP expertise: Thousands of product management engagements
• Notable clients: Thumbtack, Bridgestone, Motorola, Shopify
• Tradeoffs: You're hiring one person, not a team. No execution capability — they advise, you still need builders. Quality varies despite vetting.
• Pricing: $60-$200+/hr, $500 refundable deposit to start

4. Thiga

Location: Paris, France (international operations)

Best for: Companies that want consulting-grade product strategy rigor — restructuring product organizations, defining product-market fit strategy, or maturing the product function before scaling.

Thiga is a pure-play product management consultancy. They don't build software — they advise on product strategy, product organization, and product marketing. Named among FT1000 Europe's fastest-growing companies, with 215 employees and deep expertise across startups and enterprise.

• Approach: Pure product strategy consulting, short iterative cycles (2 weeks to 3 months)
• MVP expertise: Strong on strategy, less on hands-on MVP building
• Notable clients: L'Oreal, Schneider Electric, Decathlon, Carrefour, AXA
• Tradeoffs: European headquarters. Doesn't build the product — you need a separate development partner.
• Pricing: Custom, project-based with 2-week minimum cycles

5. Pragmatic Institute

Location: Scottsdale, AZ (courses delivered globally)

Best for: Founders and product leaders who want to build internal product strategy capability rather than outsource it.

Pragmatic Institute is the gold standard in product management training. Their Pragmatic Framework is used by thousands of companies to structure market-driven product decisions. This isn't consulting — it's teaching you to fish. Courses cover market discovery, strategic planning, development alignment, pricing strategy, and go-to-market.

• Approach: Training and frameworks, not hands-on consulting
• MVP expertise: Frameworks for MVP scoping, validation, and launch
• Notable results: Named Best Product Management Certification 2025
• Tradeoffs: Training, not execution. Framework may feel over-engineered for very early startups. No ongoing advisory unless you arrange private sessions.
• Pricing: $1,295/course, $3,885 for full certification (3 courses)

6. RebelDot

Location: Cluj-Napoca, Romania (office in Copenhagen)

Best for: Startups that want a data-driven product strategy partner at European pricing — combining strategy consulting with actual engineering execution.

RebelDot has earned a reputation for building data-driven products with a user-centric approach. ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified, Microsoft Solutions Partner, and named one of Europe's fastest-growing companies by FT1000. 80% of client partnerships extend beyond three years.

• Approach: Integrated product strategy + design + development
• MVP expertise: Deep experience across fintech, telemedicine, SaaS, green tech
• Notable clients: Grundfos, LAUTEC, WeVestr, Compleye
• Tradeoffs: Romania-based — timezone differences for US teams. Smaller US brand recognition.
• Pricing: Starting at $8K/month

7. MentorCruise

Location: Remote (Berlin, Germany)

Best for: Bootstrapped founders who need affordable, ongoing product strategy guidance from experienced product leaders at companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple.

MentorCruise is a mentorship marketplace (not a consulting firm) with 5,500+ mentors and 23,700+ successful matches. It's the most accessible option on this list — you get 1-on-1 guidance from senior PMs at a fraction of consulting rates.

• Approach: 1-on-1 mentorship — hourly or monthly ongoing
• MVP expertise: Depends on the mentor — many have startup and product backgrounds
• Tradeoffs: You're working with one person, not a structured methodology. Quality varies. No deliverables — it's advice, not execution.
• Pricing: $50-$200/hr for consultations, $500-$5,000/month for ongoing mentorship

8. Devox Software

Location: Miami, FL (distributed team of 100+)

Best for: Startups that want a lean, turn-key MVP partner — from initial strategy through development and launch.

Devox Software takes a lean product creation approach, combining product strategy consulting (market research, competitive analysis, feature prioritization, pricing model selection) with engineering execution. They've delivered 70+ projects since 2018.

• Approach: Lean methodology — strategy through launch as a single engagement
• MVP expertise: 70+ projects, focus on getting MVPs to market faster
• Tradeoffs: Younger firm (founded 2018) with less track record. Less depth in pure product strategy compared to specialist firms.
• Pricing: Custom — contact for quote

How to Choose the Right Product Strategy Partner

Questions to Ask Any Product Strategy Consultant

1. What happens after the strategy? A roadmap document is useless if nobody can build it. Ask whether they can execute or will hand off to someone else.
2. Have you worked at this stage before? Enterprise product strategy is a different discipline than early-stage MVP scoping. Make sure they've actually helped startups ship v1.
3. How do you handle scope creep? A good strategist fights to keep your MVP small. If they keep adding features during discovery, they're optimizing for their revenue, not your success.
4. Can you show me an MVP you helped scope and ship? Ask for specific examples — not just strategy decks, but products that launched and got traction.
5. What's the minimum viable scope for my idea? The best answer is the smallest, fastest thing that validates your hypothesis. If they jump to a 6-month roadmap, keep looking.

Need help scoping your MVP? Tell us about your project — we'll help you figure out the right strategy before writing any code.