If you want to build a cutting-edge robotics company, where do you begin? For Shaoshan Liu, CEO and board chairman of PerceptIn, you start with a program at Harvard Business School (HBS) Executive Education. In this interview, Liu describes how attending the Leading Product Innovation program (now titled Managing Innovation) helped him launch the company he leads today: a revolutionary firm that enables manufacturers to transform products into intelligent robots.
How did you hear about the program, and why did you decide to apply?
I was a computer scientist until mid-2016, when I founded PerceptIn to work on cutting-edge autonomous driving and robotics technologies. At that time, I felt strongly that I really needed formal and professional business training to evolve from a computer scientist into an innovative entrepreneur. However, since I was launching a startup, I could not commit two years to do a full-time MBA. What I needed was a highly focused and intensive program that could quickly equip me with the knowledge and tools to lead product innovation. Fortunately, I found Leading Product Innovation on the HBS Executive Education website. After doing some research on the program and the faculty, I decided that this program was exactly what I was looking for.
What were your biggest takeaways from the program?
I learned a lot from the intensive case studies in the program. In particular, the case study on IBM Watson and the case on Teradyne Jaguar were relevant to my own startup, and I applied lessons from those cases to managing my business. The class discussions and analysis of these case studies were extremely helpful to me, especially when my company ran into similar situations.
How have you implemented what you learned in the program?
Right after attending the program, I incorporated what I learned about project management and design thinking into my company's product-development process. As a result, in the past 18 months, we have successfully launched three major product lines. We now have more than 100 customers worldwide and 120 international patents for our core technologies. Attending Leading Product Innovation has brought me a tremendous return on investment. In fact, it was one of the best investments I've ever made.
How do you feel the program has prepared you to tackle the challenges your company is facing?
Frankly, I was confused about how and where to start with product innovation before I attended the program. At times, I didn't know what to do when facing a problem, and I had little confidence in the decisions I made. Leading Product Innovation prepared me with the knowledge and tools I needed to run my own projects, and also gave me the self-confidence required to lead product-innovation teams.
What surprised you about the on-campus experience?
The on-campus experience was magical. It was amazing to be able to walk onto a beautiful campus, meet and live with a group of talented peers from all over the world, study cases with world-class professors, and attend the lectures of people with extraordinary life experiences. After one week, I walked out fully equipped with the tools and self-confidence I needed.
How would you describe the program's value to someone considering it?
If you really want to do product innovation but are confused about how and where to start, I highly recommend this program. After one week of intensive training, not only was I fully equipped with the knowledge and tools to put innovation in action, but I also met highly talented peers from different parts of the world with various cultures and backgrounds. Attending the program was definitely a pivotal event for my career. It transformed me from a computer scientist into an innovative entrepreneur.