Saral Shiksha Yojna
Courses/Technology Product Entrepreneurship

Technology Product Entrepreneurship

CS9.424
Ramesh Loganathan + Prakash Yalla•Monsoon 2025-26•4 credits
Sample Papers/TPE Mock End-Sem Paper 2 (PYQ format — Spring Mock Set 2)

TPE Mock End-Sem Paper 2 (PYQ format — Spring Mock Set 2)

Duration: 180 min • Max marks: 100

Part 1 — Higher-Order Concepts (5 × 5 = 20 marks; Q5 bonus)

20 marks
  1. 1.**Customer Segments — MSME credit-scoring SaaS.** A startup is building AI-driven credit-scoring that lets banks underwrite working-capital loans to kirana stores and mid-tier retailers without traditional bureau histories. (a) Identify one specific target customer. (b) State one key problem they face. (c) Explain why they may pay for this solution. (d) Suggest one way to test interest quickly.5 m
  2. 2.**Problem-Solution Fit — Mental-health journaling app.** A startup wants to help working professionals manage everyday anxiety via guided journaling + breathing exercises. (a) Who is the primary customer? (b) What is the main problem? (c) What is one simple MVP to test first? (d) What concern might *users* have that the founders may underestimate?5 m
  3. 3.**Idea Hexagon — Climate & sustainability tech.** Using the Idea Hexagon, generate six startup ideas in the climate / sustainability space (carbon accounting, waste-to-energy, supply-chain ESG, sustainable packaging, etc.). For each, specify the target user and the core problem. Label each variant with its Hexagon formula ($X^d$, $X+Y$, $X\uparrow$, $X\downarrow$, $X{+}{+}$, $\bar X$).5 m
  4. 4.**Business Model Basics — Logistics SaaS for mid-size D2C sellers.** Automated last-mile shipment tracking + customer notifications across multiple courier partners. (a) One target customer segment. (b) Core value proposition for this segment. (c) One possible revenue model. (d) One channel to reach customers.5 m
  5. 5.**(Bonus, 5 marks) Your TPE startup idea.** Write a one-line ad-lib in the deck's format: *For [user] who [pain], our [product] is a [category] that [benefit]. Unlike [alternative], our product [differentiator].* Then state: (a) Target user. (b) Main customer pain. (c) Product benefit. (d) One gain for the customer.5 m

Part 2 — Advanced Framework Application (2 × 20 = 40 marks)

40 marks
  1. 1.**Case: VoiceMed Diagnostics (20 marks).** VoiceMed is building an AI tool that listens to a patient's voice for 30 seconds and detects early signs of respiratory illness (asthma, COPD, lung fibrosis). Tier-1 hospital pulmonologists are intrigued but reluctant to use it without published clinical evidence. Tier-2 city diagnostic chains are willing to deploy it today as a triage tool. A few global incumbents have announced similar features but are not yet shipping in India. (a) Identify the beachhead customer segment (5). (b) List two customer pains and two gains the product addresses (5). (c) Explain how VoiceMed can differentiate from global incumbents — name the Defensibility Tier each lever sits at (5). (d) Suggest one go-to-market strategy for early adoption (5).20 m
  2. 2.**Case: SkillBridge Upskilling (20 marks).** SkillBridge is a B2B platform that helps mid-size IT services companies upskill engineers on AI/cloud/security. HR managers love the dashboards, but engineers complete only 18% of enrolled courses. Engineering managers say the content is too generic. Six months of runway remain. (a) Identify two hypotheses the startup must test (5). (b) Classify each as problem-risk or solution-risk (5). (c) Suggest one MVP experiment to improve course completion (5). (d) Propose one revenue model that aligns incentives across HR, engineers, and engineering managers (5).20 m

Part 3 — Deep-Dive Case (40 marks: 15 + 10 + 10 + 5)

40 marks
  1. 1.**Case: GreenGrid Energy.** GreenGrid is developing an AI-powered energy-optimisation platform that reduces building electricity bills by 15-25% via predictive HVAC/lighting/EV-charger scheduling. Pilots showed 22% average savings in large commercial offices (>100,000 sq ft) and 14-18% in mid-market hotels. Hotels resist long contract lock-ins; large offices have budget but require deep BMS integration and 6-9 month procurement cycles. DISCOMs (electricity distribution companies) have expressed interest in grid-balancing potential. Three possible growth paths: (i) mid-market hotels on monthly subscription, (ii) large offices as enterprise SaaS with BMS integration, (iii) DISCOM partnership paying per kWh shifted. Runway: 15 months. **(a) Strategic Evaluation (15 marks).** Evaluate all three paths on: PMF, revenue potential, sales complexity, scalability. Use a comparison table. **(b) Recommendation (10 marks).** Recommend the best path. Justify with explicit reference to runway, PMF evidence trajectory, and the *win-one-segment-then-expand* logic from Phase 4. **(c) Business Model Design (10 marks).** For your recommended path, define: revenue model, key partners, distribution channels, cost structure. Draw the relevant nine-block BMC (or Lean Canvas if uncertainty is high). **(d) Risk Analysis (5 marks).** Identify one market risk, one technology risk, and one adoption risk. For each, propose a mitigation. Use the USP Defensibility ladder to argue why your mitigations matter.40 m

Track your attempt locally — score and time are recorded in your browser. (Coming soon: timed-attempt mode.)