सSaral 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 6 (200-mark extended format)

TPE Mock End-Sem Paper 6 (200-mark extended format)

Duration: 240 min • Max marks: 200

Part 1 — Phase 1 Foundations (8 × 5 = 40 marks)

40 marks
  1. 1.A founder claims his startup is on the 'Slope of Enlightenment' for generative-AI-powered legal drafting. Critique this placement. If incorrect, identify the correct Hype Cycle stage and state the strategic implication.5 m
  2. 2.Steve Blank's startup definition has four load-bearing words. Identify all four. For each, explain what the definition would *fail to require* if that word were removed.5 m
  3. 3.Compare the 'Generalize' () and 'Add an Adjective' () dimensions of the Idea Hexagon. Apply both to the seed 'video conferencing' and produce one variant per dimension that is clearly distinct.5 m
  4. 4.Apply the Five Filters to 'crypto-based gig payroll for freelancers'. State the verdict for each filter with one sentence of specific justification.5 m
  5. 5.Define the Gartner Impact Radar. Distinguish it from the Hype Cycle. State one scenario where a founder would consult one and not the other.5 m
  6. 6.A startup has Innovation + Uncertainty but no Scalability. What kind of organisation has it become? Provide one real-world example.5 m
  7. 7.Why is the Oxygen Test placed *before* the Five Filters and not after? Justify with reference to CB Insights' failure-mode statistics.5 m
  8. 8.Apply the 'Find the Nails' (X↑) and 'Find the Hammers' (X↓) Hexagon dimensions to the seed 'computer-vision'. State the difference between the two outputs in one sentence.5 m

Part 2 — Phase 2 + Phase 3 Application (6 × 10 = 60 marks)

60 marks
  1. 1.Apply the Implications Triad (Magnitude × Frequency × Population) to 'home-air-pollution monitor for Indian urban households'. Quantify each dimension. Conclude Painkiller or Vitamin. Compare with 'home-air-pollution monitor for Indian *rural* households' — does the verdict change?10 m
  2. 2.A founder writes the Level-1 statement: 'small businesses need cyber-security'. Rewrite as Level-3 (Who + Context + Deficit). Then apply the 5Ws with Why as keystone. Map all seven stakeholder roles for a B2B cyber-security sale into an Indian SMB (10-100 employees).10 m
  3. 3.Critique the survey question 'Are you concerned about your business getting hacked?' using the Bias-Trap framework. Rewrite past-behaviour and quantifiable. State the rule.10 m
  4. 4.A SaaS startup has 500 trial signups but only 40 paying customers after 6 months. Apply the four stages of Customer Development to diagnose: is the team in Discovery, Validation, Creation, or Building? Justify with reference to the Search vs Execute distinction.10 m
  5. 5.Design a Validation Board (top-left Pivot Track, bottom-left Experiment Design, right Results column) for a scenario of your choice. Fill at least three rows on the Pivot Track and two experiments on the bottom-left.10 m
  6. 6.Place the following customer cohorts on the Earlyvangelist Pyramid: (a) those with budget allocated for the problem, (b) those who have hacked a workaround, (c) those who actively recognise the problem but haven't searched, (d) those who don't yet know they have the problem. Recommend which tier a founder should sell to *first* and the operational consequence.10 m

Part 3 — Phase 3.2 + Phase 4 (4 × 15 = 60 marks)

60 marks
  1. 1.Draw the Value Proposition Canvas for 'on-demand mental-wellness chat with licensed therapists, anonymous'. Show explicit pain-reliever-to-pain and gain-creator-to-gain mappings via arrows. Apply Clayton Christensen's three-adjective test (effectively / affordably / conveniently) and identify which adjective this VP nudges most strongly.15 m
  2. 2.Compare BMC and Lean Canvas. Draw both side-by-side for a 'dark-pattern detection browser extension for consumer protection NGOs'. Highlight the four substitutions Lean Canvas makes. State why the founder of this particular startup should use Lean Canvas vs BMC.15 m
  3. 3.Apply the Phase 4.2 toolkit (STP + ecosystem map + AHA Grid + Competition Matrix + Customer Importance Mapping) to a vertical-farming startup competing with traditional agri-supply and emerging hydroponics players. Identify the Contenders quadrant occupant if any. State which Customer-Importance-Mapping tag (Unique / Best / Same / Poor) the startup's primary capability falls into.15 m
  4. 4.Apply the USP Defensibility four-tier ladder to assess the moat of a tech startup of your choice. Stack at least three tiers with specific levers. Argue whether the moat survives entry by a well-funded incumbent. Apply at least one cross-quadrant SWOT connection (SO, ST, WO, WT).15 m

Part 4 — Synthesis & Pitch (2 × 20 = 40 marks)

40 marks
  1. 1.A startup has Painkiller-grade Phase-2 problem validation, occupies the Contenders quadrant on AHA, and has Tier-2 imitability via a 24-month exclusive partnership. Apply Cross-Phase Connection #4 (the *defensible startup recipe*) and assess whether all three conditions hold. If yes, predict the strategic threat profile from incumbents.20 m
  2. 2.Design a complete pitch for a deep-tech startup. (a) Act I FOMO: 5 slides with the slide-by-slide content. (b) Act II FOLS: 5 slides. (c) Specific ask. Then for each of Act I's 5 slides, identify which framework the slide draws on (Painkiller / 5Ws / STP / AHA / Defensibility / etc.).20 m

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