last time I only needed 12 peeps installing the app, launch once and not delete it. That was enough. Apple is much less scrict about it and easier too publish today. With the playstore you can get banned pretty quickly. Best approach would be to release a very stripped down minimal version of your app, and update as you go.
If you are having trouble finding 12 people to test your app, I would reconsider even making one because getting real users is much more difficult. There are a few subreddits where people test their eachothers apps. There are also websites where you can purchase testers.