DJI is a global leader in developing and manufacturing innovative drone and camera technology for commercial and recreational use.
The company is dedicated to making aerial photography and filmmaking equipment and platforms more reliable and easier to use for creators and innovators around the world.
The Founder
DJI was founded by Frank Wang. Wang showed an interest in flight and airborne devices from a young age. He attended the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology.
He drew the attention of math professor Li Zexiang because Wang built an impressive helicopter flight control system.
The professor brought Wang into the school's graduate program. In 2005, Wang participated in ABU Robocon and his team won third prize among teams competing from across Asia.
His college granted him HK$18,000 to conduct research and develop a drone.
The following year, DJI was founded.
How DJI Was Created?
DJI was founded in 2006. Wang built the first prototypes of DJI's projects in his dorm room, selling the flight control components to universities and Chinese electric companies.
He used the proceeds to move to the industrial hub of Shenzhen and hired a small number of staff in the same year.
The company sold a modest amount of components during this period, relying as well on financial support from Wang's family friend, Lu Di, who provided US$90,000 and managed the company's finances.
In 2009, DJI's components allowed a team to successfully pilot a drone around the peak of Mt. Everest.
The following year, Wang hired a friend, Swift Xie Jia, to run the company's marketing. DJI began to cater more to drone hobbyists in international markets
In 2011, Wang met Colin Guinn at a trade show, and the two of them founded DJI North America, a subsidiary company focusing on mass-market drone sales.
Two years later, DJI released the first model of the Phantom drone, an entry-level drone that was more user-friendly than other drones on the market at the time.
Mission and Vision
DJI continues to strive as its mission and vision play a role in its success.
DJI’s vision is to continue to promote and contribute to human progress and its community.
Its mission is to strive and let the beauty of technology exceed imagination, and to be a pioneer in the era of space intelligence.
Wang believes that life without reflection and progress is a life not worth living.
The First Product.
In the beginning, DJI began selling DIY drones and controllers.
By 2013 DJI introduced their first consumer drone named the DJI Phantom 1. The Phantom 1 was DJI's first ready-to-fly drone system that included an internal GPS system for stable, reliable flights which made piloting easier and safer.
However, The Phantom 1 had its downsides such as it only had a flight time of less than ten minutes and did not come with a camera.
Users had to mount a GoPro or other lightweight camera to be able to record aerial footage that was still very shaky in flight.
Expanding Products.
Not long after its success with drones, DJI increased its focus on the expansion of its own brand of camera and gimbal systems.
In 2017, DJI invested in the research and development of their DJI Zenmuse camera series which included both aerial cameras for their drones as well as cameras that could be mounted onto their own gimbal system.
One of its latest releases in their Zenmuse line was Zenmuse X7, the world's first Super 35 digital film camera optimized to record 6K videos.
They also recently released the new Zenmuse XT2, combining radiometric thermal sensors with their own 4k visual camera and stabilization technology.
DJI also developed the DJI Osmo Series. The Osmo series, a line of handheld gimbal and camera units, enabled users of any level to capture stunning, stabilized footage in one user-friendly and affordable system.