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 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' ($X^d$) and 'Add an Adjective' ($X{+}{+}$) 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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