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 7 (200-mark extended — all-new domains)

TPE Mock End-Sem Paper 7 (200-mark extended — all-new domains)

Duration: 240 min • Max marks: 200

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

40 marks
  1. 1.Convergence, Connectedness, Context — the 3C trend-spotting framework. Apply all three to the *industrial logistics* sector in India 2026. One signal per C.5 m
  2. 2.Define and distinguish the four phases of the TPE journey. State the deliverable of each phase in one sentence.5 m
  3. 3.Apply the Idea Hexagon to the seed 'industrial robotic arms for textile manufacturing'. Six variants, one per dimension. Specify target user (factory owner / supervisor / operator / etc.) for each.5 m
  4. 4.Walk 'subscription-based interior-design service for 1-BHK Tier-2 city homes' through the Oxygen Test and Five Filters. Conclude proceed / kill with justification.5 m
  5. 5.State the FOMO / FOLS investor psychology. Apply to a hypothetical Series A pitch by a robotics startup. Identify three FOMO slides and three FOLS slides.5 m
  6. 6.Apply the 'Do the Opposite' (X̄) Hexagon dimension to three different seed ideas: (a) brick-and-mortar shopping, (b) annual employee reviews, (c) hospital outpatient consultation. Each X̄ should yield a startup direction that already exists in some form.5 m
  7. 7.Why is Innovation insufficient by itself for a startup? Explain with two scenarios where high innovation co-exists with zero scalability or zero uncertainty-tolerance.5 m
  8. 8.A startup is in the 'Trough of Disillusionment' on the Hype Cycle. The founder is panicking. Explain why this is strategically the best place to enter — not the worst.5 m

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

60 marks
  1. 1.Rewrite the Level-1 statement 'India needs better public transport' as Level-3. Apply the 5Ws and quantify the Why as Total Addressable Pain.10 m
  2. 2.For an edtech selling adaptive learning to schools, map all seven Stakeholder Ecosystem roles. Identify the Decision Maker, Buyer, User, and CFO. Write three different versions of the problem statement (one per role).10 m
  3. 3.Apply Magnitude × Frequency × Population to 'real-time pothole-detection system for municipal road departments'. Conclude Painkiller or Vitamin. Justify with India-specific numbers.10 m
  4. 4.Distinguish the Old Map (linear traditional product development) from the New Compass (Customer Development loop). Apply both to a robotics startup. State three specific decisions that change between the two approaches.10 m
  5. 5.Design the Detective Phase four-question script for validating the problem 'small-business owners want better access to credit'. Then propose a Wizard-of-Oz MVP that tests the riskiest assumption.10 m
  6. 6.Apply the BML loop to a scenario of your choice. Build is an MVP (specify what kind). Measure is a specific metric. Learn produces a persevere or pivot decision with stated criteria.10 m

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

60 marks
  1. 1.Draw the Uber VPC canonical example from memory. Then redraw the VPC for 'Ola for electric two-wheeler rentals for gig delivery riders'. Compare the two — identify which pains and gains are shared and which are specific to the gig-rider segment.15 m
  2. 2.Apply the Experience Economy ladder to 'coffee'. Then apply it to your own startup idea. State which rung you currently occupy and what climbing one rung would require operationally and economically.15 m
  3. 3.Draw the BMC for a deeptech startup of your choice. Fill all nine blocks. State the Inflow > Outflow check explicitly. Identify the Riskiest Assumption and propose how to test it cheaply.15 m
  4. 4.Apply Find-Your-USP four-zone Venn to your startup against two named competitors. Populate Winning, Risky, Losing, Who Cares with specific content. State the strategic verdict for each zone.15 m

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

40 marks
  1. 1.Demonstrate Cross-Phase Connection #3 (5Ws Who → BMC Customer Segments → STP Segmentation → AHA Grid axes). Pick a startup. Show the same identity moving through all four labels with consistency. Identify what would have to change if the Who shifted (e.g., from B2B mid-market to B2C Tier-1 households).20 m
  2. 2.Architect a complete Series-Seed pitch. Apply at least four frameworks across Acts I and II. Quote at least two slide-canonical lines verbatim. End with a specific ask. Include a one-line investor objection-handling for the *most likely* tough question.20 m

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