The MVP balancing act:
designing vs. building

Angelo is the CEO and Co-Founder of Elemental, a custom web and software development agency based in Cape Town. With 20 years of experience in the industry, Angelo has helped businesses across Fintech, EdTech, Travel, and IoT launch and scale digital platforms. Elemental specialises in building robust, scalable MVPs through end-to-end development-covering everything from technical scoping to deployment. Angelo works closely with founders, product teams, and partner agencies to ensure every build is set up for long term success.

Chris is the Co-Founder of How Might We, a UX research and service design company. With 15 years of experience spanning health, finance, and retail, he brings a rare blend of systems thinking and storytelling to every project. Chris has worked with startups and enterprises alike to shape digital products around real user needs, balancing rigour with creativity to guide teams from insight to action. Chris draws on his practical experience helping teams navigate the push and pull between research and delivery, bringing clarity to when it’s time to test, when it’s time to build, and how to learn quickly without losing direction.

Jacky works alongside Chris as the Co-Founder of How Might We and has been leading research across Fintech, Healthcare, Education, and E-commerce for 15 years. As moderator of this panel discussion, she draws on her experience teaching product development and Design Thinking, offering a grounded view of how theory often shifts in the real-world execution of MVPs.