सSaral Shiksha Yojna
Courses/Technology Product Entrepreneurship

Technology Product Entrepreneurship

CS9.424
Ramesh Loganathan + Prakash Yalla•Monsoon 2025-26•4 credits
Sample Papers/TPE practice paper · Paper 2

TPE practice paper · Paper 2

Duration: 120 min • Max marks: 100

Section A — MCQs (10 × 1 = 10 marks)

10 marks
  1. 1.** "Banking → Mobile Banking" is which Idea Hexagon move? (a) Generalize (b) Fusion (c) Find the Nails (d) Add an Adjective1 m
  2. 2.** Disneyland is which level on Pine & Gilmore's value progression? (a) Goods (b) Service (c) Experience (d) Transformation1 m
  3. 3.** In a B2B Salesforce sale, the CFO most often plays the role of: (a) Influencer (b) Buyer (c) Decision Maker (d) End User1 m
  4. 4.** Eventbrite's Series F was offered by: (a) Sequoia + Andreessen (b) Tiger Global + T. Rowe Price (c) Y Combinator + Accel (d) SoftBank + KKR1 m
  5. 5.** Which Customer Development step asks: "Have we found a repeatable, scalable business model?" (a) Discovery (b) Validation (c) Creation (d) Company Building1 m
  6. 6.** Which of the following is *internal* in a SWOT? (a) Threats (b) Opportunities (c) Weaknesses (d) Trends1 m
  7. 7.** Touch Squash, Super Badminton, and Flick Tennis were all originally what type of monetization model? (a) Free-to-play (b) Paid (c) Ad-supported (d) Subscription1 m
  8. 8.** The total Eventbrite funding raised through Series E was approximately: (a) $30M (b) $79.6M (c) $139.6M (d) $300M1 m
  9. 9.** Which is the *first* hypothesis to be tested in Customer Development per the deck? (a) Distribution & Pricing (b) Product (c) Demand Creation (d) Competitive1 m
  10. 10.** The Aha! Grid is used to: (a) Build an MVP (b) Plot competitors in each target segment (c) Estimate TAM (d) Design a pitch deck1 m

Section B — MSQs (5 × 2 = 10 marks)

10 marks
  1. 1.** Which of these are part of the *Value Map* side of the VPC? (a) Products & Services (b) Customer Jobs (c) Pain Relievers (d) Pains (e) Gain Creators2 m
  2. 2.** Which of these were called out in the intro deck as **NOT acceptable** TPE ideas? (a) Pure IT/website solutions (b) Marketplace aggregators of kirana stores (c) Deeptech materials science (d) Education/classroom automation (e) Ideas where government is the sole customer2 m
  3. 3.** Which of these are valid forms in which "total value" can show up for a customer? (a) Incremental revenue (b) Decrease in costs (c) Relationship value (d) Tax savings (e) Stock options2 m
  4. 4.** Which of these belong to the **Front Stage (customer ecosystem)** of the BMC? (a) Customer Relationships (b) Key Partners (c) Channels (d) Customer Segments (e) Key Activities2 m
  5. 5.** Which were **published positions** of the HBR commentators on the SparkPlace case? (a) Roger Martin: pursue both (b) Mike Volpe: focus on Marys (c) Mike Volpe: focus on Sams (d) Roger Martin: focus on Sams only (e) Various community readers: include consolidating on Sams first2 m

Section C — Short answer (6 × 5 = 30 marks)

30 marks
  1. 1.** State the BML / Insight cycle in four steps and explain why "Test in Front of Customers" is the non-negotiable step.5 m
  2. 2.** Define USP. Why is it paired with "defensibility" in this course, and what are the four tiers of imitability?5 m
  3. 3.** Explain *Convergence* and *Catalysis* from Gartner's 3C framework with one example each.5 m
  4. 4.** Why did Kevin Hartz argue that Ticketmaster was a *bad* comparable for valuing Eventbrite? Give three reasons.5 m
  5. 5.** Describe the "Validation Board" (Get Out Of The Building). What goes in each column?5 m
  6. 6.** State Pine & Gilmore's five levels of economic value with one example for each.5 m

Section D — Descriptive (3 × 10 = 30 marks)

30 marks
  1. 1.** Walk through the six stages of the startup journey ("Mapping the Terrain"). For each stage, state the *phase*, *goal*, and one defining condition or transition.10 m
  2. 2.** Explain the Value Proposition Canvas in full. Name all six components, the two sides they fall under, and what "Problem/Solution Fit" means. Then describe the three customer-interview questions used to populate the Customer Profile.10 m
  3. 3.** Describe Rolocule's strategic journey through three product phases: (i) early paid games, (ii) the F2P shift and TSL failure, (iii) Rolomotion + Apple TV. For each phase, identify what worked, what failed, and what lesson it offers a deeptech founder.10 m

Section E — Long analytical (1 × 20 = 20 marks)

20 marks
  1. 1.** A founder presents to you: "We have built a low-cost air-quality sensor that uses a novel laser-scattering technique. We want to sell it to anyone — schools, homes, factories, hospitals, governments." Critique this pitch using **at least four TPE frameworks** (e.g., Oxygen Test, Five Filters, STP, BMC, Aha! Grid). Then redesign the go-to-market strategy with a clear beachhead, USP defensibility tier, and a structured 12-month roadmap. ---20 m
  2. 2.** (d) Add an Adjective (X++)20 m
  3. 3.** (c) Experience20 m
  4. 4.** (c) Decision Maker20 m
  5. 5.** (b) Tiger Global Management + T. Rowe Price ($60M @ $650M)20 m
  6. 6.** (b) Validation20 m
  7. 7.** (c) Weaknesses (Strengths + Weaknesses are internal; Opportunities + Threats are external)20 m
  8. 8.** (b) Paid20 m
  9. 9.** (b) $79.6M (Seed $0.3M + A $1.3M + B $1.5M + C $6.5M + D $20M + E $50M = $79.6M)20 m
  10. 10.** (b) Product Hypothesis (then Customer & Problem, Distribution & Pricing, Demand Creation, Market Type, Competitive)20 m
  11. 11.** (b) Plot competitors in each target segment20 m
  12. 12.** (a), (c), (e) — Customer Jobs and Pains are on the customer side20 m
  13. 13.** (a), (b), (d), (e) — deeptech materials science is acceptable20 m
  14. 14.** (a), (b), (c) — tax savings and stock options are not deck categories20 m
  15. 15.** (a), (c), (d) — Partners and Activities sit on the back-stage/operations side20 m
  16. 16.** (a), (b), (e) — both experts and the community had these positions20 m
  17. 17.** **Assumptions/Hypothesis → Design Experiment → Test in Front of Customers → Insight** → loop back. "Test in Front of Customers" is non-negotiable because every other step happens inside the building, where founders are biased toward their own beliefs. Only real customer contact converts a hypothesis into evidence; without it, the cycle produces confident-but-wrong conclusions.20 m
  18. 18.** A **USP (Unique Selling Proposition)** is the single distinctive reason a customer should buy you rather than a competitor. It is paired with defensibility because a USP that competitors can copy disappears the moment they do. Four tiers (most → least durable): (1) **Cannot be imitated** — patents, unique location/assets; (2) **Difficult** — brand, loyalty, culture, networks/alliances; (3) **Can be imitated at a cost** — skilled workforce, customer service, R&D capability; (4) **Easy** — undifferentiated workforce/products.20 m
  19. 19.** **Convergence** = previously parallel technologies coming together to create exponential value. *Example:* mobile + social + cloud + data combined to create data-rich, connected experiences (current convergences include mixed reality + IoT, knowledge graphs + AI). **Catalysis** = technologies that already existed in parallel but become broadly usable because an event/product makes them so. *Example:* conversational interfaces + ML + neural nets + GPUs all existed; **ChatGPT** was the catalyst that ignited mass adoption.20 m
  20. 20.** (i) Ticketmaster's **2009 merger with Live Nation** suspended normal valuation gravity — Live Nation's multiples were unusually low, making them a misleading benchmark. (ii) Ticketmaster addressed a **different market segment** — reserved seating, large-event ticketing — while Eventbrite served general-admission, long-tail events. (iii) Ticketmaster's valuation couldn't be cleanly **disassociated from Live Nation Entertainment's** broader portfolio (venue ops, sponsorship, artist management).20 m
  21. 21.** It's a two-column board titled "**GET OUT OF THE BLDG**" with the columns **Invalidated** and **Validated**. Founders identify the riskiest assumption, design an experiment, get out of the building, run the experiment, and record the result in the appropriate column. The act of writing in either column is what advances the canvas — it forces honesty about which beliefs survived contact with real customers.20 m
  22. 22.** (1) **Commodity** — undifferentiated products (iron ore). (2) **Goods** — distinctive tangible items (a can of food). (3) **Service** — activities performed for customers (a delivery service). (4) **Experience** — the feeling customers get by engaging (Disneyland). (5) **Transformation** — the benefit customers carry away (a university degree).20 m
  23. 23.** | Stage | Phase | Goal | Defining condition | |---|---|---|---| | 1. Pre-Seed | Ideation & Validation | Prove problem and solution are viable | Pre-investment; founder-funded or friends-and-family | | 2. Seed | Prototyping & Market Research | Validate business model with a working prototype | First institutional cheque (angels/seed VC) | | 3. Early (Series A) | Product-Market Fit | Secure first VC round with an MVP and customer base | Only 7.5% of seed startups reach here; needs MVP + customer base + steady monthly revenue | | 4. Growth (Series B/C) | Scaling | Rapidly expand customer base and team | Wider market, long-term profitability focus | | 5. Expansion | Market Dominance | Enter new markets, acquire companies, become a "scaleup" | Investment banks, PE firms, hedge funds may participate | | 6. Exit | Liquidity | Acquisition, IPO, or founder share sale | Secondary market activity; full liquidity for founders/early investors |20 m
  24. 24.** The **VPC** plugs a Value Map (square, supplier side) into a Customer Profile (circle, customer side). **Customer Profile (3):** *Customer Jobs* (functional/social/emotional tasks they're trying to do), *Pains* (bad outcomes, risks, obstacles), *Gains* (outcomes/benefits they want). **Value Map (3):** *Products & Services* (what you offer), *Pain Relievers* (how your offering specifically eases their pains), *Gain Creators* (how it produces their gains). **Problem/Solution Fit** is the condition where Pain Relievers and Gain Creators connect cleanly to Pains and Gains for the Jobs the customer is doing. The three interview questions for the Customer Profile: (i) "Tell me about a typical day" — discovers the *Jobs* the customer is doing; (ii) "What keeps you up at night?" — surfaces the *Pains*; (iii) "How do you define success / gain?" — uncovers unarticulated *Gains*.20 m
  25. 25.** *(Phase 1 — Early paid games.)* Worked: Super Badminton recovered cost in 2 days, top-20 on AppStore; Flick Tennis won IMGA 2012 by simplifying controls (no on-screen buttons) — a clear USP. Lesson: *don't build for yourself, build for the mass market* (Rohit's father couldn't play Super Badminton). *(Phase 2 — F2P shift + TSL.)* Worked: nothing — the team correctly diagnosed the industry shift. Failed: invested ~USD 73K over 9 months on TSL with tripled headcount, but couldn't design F2P monetization. Lesson: *business-model expertise doesn't transfer across categories; F2P is a different design discipline from paid games.* *(Phase 3 — Rolomotion + Apple TV.)* Worked: technical partnership with Apple after a fast-turnaround demo trip; Motion Tennis sold 10K downloads at $8.99. Failed: Dance Party — music royalties limited the playlist, and Apple TV sales did not pick up. Lesson: *avoid single-platform bets; build for tablets + phones too (as they did for Bowling Central and Dead Among Us).*20 m
  26. 26.** *(Sample critique + plan.)* **Critiques:** - **Oxygen Test:** "anyone, anywhere" suggests Jewelry-level for consumers but Oxygen-level for hospitals/factories. The pitch conflates them — different urgency, different willingness to pay. - **Five Filters — Customer:** No identifiable customer; "schools, homes, factories, hospitals, governments" is five different markets with five different buying processes. Customer filter score: weak. - **Five Filters — Competition:** Air-quality sensors are crowded at the consumer end (Dyson, AirVisual); industrial-grade is dominated by incumbents (Aeroqual, Honeywell). Need a beachhead. - **STP:** No segmentation at all. The pitch is a *Sams/Marys-style trap* where serving everyone serves no one well. - **Aha! Grid:** Without competitor mapping, the founder can't say where in price/benefit space the product sits — meaning the USP is undefined. - **BMC:** Channels, Customer Relationships, and Revenue Streams will be wildly different across segments — the BMC is currently five canvases in disguise. **Redesigned 12-month go-to-market:** - **Beachhead:** Mid-size Indian factories with on-site occupational-health teams (workers' compliance + insurance discounts are quantifiable Oxygen-level pains). - **USP defensibility:** Patent the laser-scattering algorithm (Tier 1) + build a proprietary calibration dataset (Tier 1–2). - **Months 1–3:** Customer Discovery with 30 factory EHS managers; validate the problem + willingness-to-pay; design the experiment for ROI proof. - **Months 4–6:** Customer Validation — sign 5 pilot factories at 50% discount; iterate on dashboards and reporting. - **Months 7–9:** Customer Creation — convert pilots to paid, build the BMC's Channels via factory consultants + EHS associations. - **Months 10–12:** Begin adjacent segment (hospitals) using the patented IP + dataset, exactly as Volpe did with HubSpot's Marys-first strategy. - **Ask the investor:** "₹3 Cr for 18 months to convert 5 pilots → 40 paying factories at ARR of ₹1.2 Cr, with a defensible patent moat and a clear path to the hospital segment in year 2." --- ---20 m

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