This concept was sparked by one of those long, rich summer conversations I enjoy so much — this time with Nicolás Berreta, from LegalSurf. It stayed with me.
We are well acquainted with the MVP — Minimum Viable Product — as a cornerstone of lean methodologies. But what about the founder? Is there such a thing as a Minimum Viable Founder?
An important clarification before we begin: just like the MVP, this is not a rigid checklist of formal requirements. These are attributes that, in my experience working alongside founders and boards, separate those who build something lasting from those who don't survive the attempt.
-
Resilience — bordering on stubbornness
Building a company means taking hits. Many of them. Problems, friction, self-doubt, and the persistent voices that say "that's never going to work." The MVF needs the inner strength not to walk away after the first — or the tenth — setback. Without resilience, everything else is beside the point.
-
Objectivity and humility
The essential counterweight to resilience. Because after enough perseverance, you also need to know when to stop. Persistence is not the same as stubbornness. Sometimes the smartest — and most courageous — decision is to close before the project consumes you. The clarity to tell these two situations apart is itself a foundational attribute.
-
Deep domain knowledge
Reading about an opportunity isn't enough. In most cases, you need to have been in the trenches. Understanding an industry from the inside — its real friction, its players, its rhythms — fundamentally changes the quality of your decisions. Shallow knowledge is visible, and sooner or later it extracts its price.
-
Management capacity
Ideas are free. Execution is not. And sustained execution means managing people, resources, timelines, and expectations — often all at once. A founder who can't manage operations while thinking strategically is permanently overwhelmed, and that state transfers to the entire organization.
-
Ability to innovate and pivot
The first version of your idea is very likely not the final one — in many cases, it won't even resemble it. The MVF knows how to listen: to the market, to customers, to competitors. They adjust without abandoning the vision. The difference between pivoting and quitting is, more often than not, the quality of the listening.
-
Knowing how to sell the product
Perhaps the most critical attribute — and paradoxically, the most undervalued in the early stages. A founder who can't sell — with conviction, with method, with commercial resilience — will struggle to build a scalable sales process that others can replicate. We wrote about this in more depth here →
-
Knowing how to sell yourself
The founder is the company's first asset. They convey confidence — or doubt — to clients, investors, and strategic partners before any product ever enters the room. Personal brand is not ego: it's strategy. We explored this in depth in this article →
One could list many more attributes — the list would, strictly speaking, be endless. But my suggestion is simpler and more actionable than that: focus on reaching a solid level across these seven, and then engage in genuine introspection.
Identifying your natural strengths and taking them to excellence is far more effective than trying to transform deep weaknesses into outstanding virtues. The best founders I've known aren't the most well-rounded — they're the ones who know exactly where they shine, and build teams that cover the rest. 🚀
Buho Advisors — Technology advisory for boards in Latin America.
Real Experience. Strategic Vision.
Working with founders or boards?
If these topics resonate with the challenges your company or board is facing, we'd like to hear from you.
Start a conversation →