The 57th Richest techie, 38th Richest Chinese and with a net worth of $3.6 Billion; Frank Wang is the world’s first drone billionaire.

A shy Frank, with circular glasses, tuft of chin stubble and golf cap that masks a receding hairline, who comes off as brilliant, cutthroat, philosophical, and yet remarkably grounded and measured, all at the same time ––– is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SZ Da-Jiang Innovation Technology, also called DJI, a privately held robotics company that hold estimated revenues worth $1 Bn and a valuation of $10 Bn.

DJI, as a whole controls 70% of the global consumer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market share through sales of its trademark Phantom drones, wherein frank is said to own about 45% of DJI.Awesome Article...

Hello and good day FLPilotShark. Thank you for sharing this wonderful information and thank you for your support.

Fair play to the man, here's to his next 3.6 + billion and many more new exciting products in the future. Well done Frank.

To think he started out with nothing and was given a grant by his university to create a drone as part of his degree course... The man created DJI! he went on to become Asia's youngest tech US dollar billionaire at 31. I have enormous respect for that level of success.

Nice read!

Great story. Well done. Thanks for sharing

Very cool! Nice guy Frank he seems
Thanks for sharing.

Flysafely all
Alex

Good Read !!

A CW Posted at 11-26 10:38
To think he started out with nothing and was given a grant by his university to create a drone as part of his degree course... The man created DJI! he went on to become Asia's youngest tech US dollar billionaire at 31. I have enormous respect for that level of success.

A great story but... the key is why did he succeed  and the other drone companies not be so successful?

There is a book "in search of Stupidity" about the early computer Sw market that said the Big companies succeeded not by being clever but by being "less stupid" than the others. Which is why on the list of BIG computer companies a decade apart there were only two names on both lists.

So whilst Frank Wang is successful and DJI is too the question is not what did they do right but what did they do less wrong that the others and what did the others do wrong?  Something I assume the DJI management team do occasionally.

JAgraphics Posted at 11-28 03:11
A great story but... the key is why did he succeed  and the other drone companies not be so successful?

There is a book "in search of Stupidity" about the early computer Sw market that said the Big companies succeeded not by being clever but by being "less stupid" than the others. Which is why on the list of BIG computer companies a decade apart there were only two names on both lists.

I believe the thread is titled "who is Frank Wang" not "how to become a billionaire"...

A CW Posted at 11-28 03:13
I believe the thread is titled "who is Frank Wang" not "how to become a billionaire"...

It is who is Frank Wang but only because he is running the worlds largest Drone company and started as a student.  Had he had a student project and gone on to work for some one else doing something else I doubt DJI, let alone this thread,  would exist. The two are linked.  

JAgraphics Posted at 11-28 03:22
It is who is Frank Wang but only because he is running the worlds largest Drone company and started as a student.  Had he had a student project and gone on to work for some one else doing something else I doubt DJI, let alone this thread,  would exist. The two are linked.

One can link anything to a core question but the link is not the core question is it. You may go off topic if you wish but not with me.

you appear to be the only person who is annoyed and it was you who said " he went on to become Asia's youngest tech US dollar billionaire at 31." followed by it's not about becoming a billionaire.  
For those of us who are inthe electronics industry the way in which companies and quite often a specific founder (see most of the big companies in SW and electronics) start and grow, where others do not, is fascinating.

I get to give the graduation address for computing/engineering students for a UK University and it is interesting to see which students "go somewhere", which actually take their final year project somewhere and which go on to have "average" careers.    A lot of it is personal drive and ideas but a lot of it is, as noted above, the other companies doing something stupid and leaving a gap.
I also get to talk to those who reach the top like Frank Wang.   However I have also been around long enough to see several who have been at the top and "got retired" as the cards did not fall their way.  Some of the time it is down to them other times down to others.

Life is a funny old game as is business.  I have seen quite a few world leading companies disappear in a few years. You can't separate the person from the industry and business.

JAgraphics Posted at 11-28 03:43
you appear to be the only person who is annoyed and it was you who said " he went on to become Asia's youngest tech US dollar billionaire at 31." followed by it's not about becoming a billionaire.  
For those of us who are inthe electronics industry the way in which companies and quite often a specific founder (see most of the big companies in SW and electronics) start and grow, where others do not, is fascinating.

I know all about Integrated Circuits and Semiconductors, and memory chips that Dji buys for all of there unnamed aircraft's! I have worked in this industry for over  15 years and I have seen big and small companies got out of business b/c they try expanding to fast and to early! That's why our company only has 12 people that sell parts. Every guy here has over 15 years of experience in this sector and we have a very solid reputation in our industry. I would love to interview and sit w/ this Frank Wang, the billionaire and pick his brain for an hour or so now that would be cool...

He looks like a person smart and well liked.

interesting read - thanks for posting - nice to put a face to my supreme commander :-) may he live a long happy life.

Hello Frank and thank you for making such kewl toys

what you have done is created a hobby that is so very addictive and I for one thank you so very much for it,  I enjoy flying the drone at every opportunity, and for that I thank you, besides fly fishing it's one of my best time I have and that sir keeps me looking forward to my next flight.

JAgraphics Posted at 2018-11-28 03:11
A great story but... the key is why did he succeed  and the other drone companies not be so successful?

There is a book "in search of Stupidity" about the early computer Sw market that said the Big companies succeeded not by being clever but by being "less stupid" than the others. Which is why on the list of BIG computer companies a decade apart there were only two names on both lists.

First, I don't like to use the word Stupid! See every company runs into speed bumps but its how you handle them and move forward is how you become truly successful. I can tell you how Frank Wong become successful, Forbes estimates Frank Wang’s net worth to be USD 3.2 Billion.  Not bad since starting off in 2006. As we all know that the DJI company is originally from China with its headquarters in Shenzhen. Starting in a single small office in 2006, DJI now has a global workforce of over 2,000. DJI has offices in the United States, Germany, Japan, Beijing, and Hong Kong. In 2014, DJI has revenues of $500,000.  For 2015, DJI is looking to double its revenues and become the first billion dollar drone company for consumers. As of January 2018, DJI president Roger Luo is reported to have claimed that DJI 2017 sales exceeded 18 billion yuan ($2.9 billion). Most of these sales are thought to have been international. Another smart move, DJI is a privately owned and operated company so it has not listed stock on any financial exchanges.  However, there is much talk about a possible DJI IPO making its stock debut in 2019. In May 2014, DJI raised USD 30 million in Series A funding from Sequoia Capital China. This is a Venture Capital firm focused on seed stage, mid stage, late stage, and growth investments in the tech sector. In May 2015, DJI raised raising $75 million in Series B funding from Accel Partners, which is also an investor in companies like Facebook and Dropbox.  In March 2018, Reuters HONG KONG announced that China’s SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd, the world’s largest maker of non-military drones, is in talks with investors for at least $500 million in funding ahead of a planned stock market debut, people with knowledge of the matter said. With the funding, set to be obtained via a combination of new equity and debt, the firm would be valued at about $15 billion, nearly double its valuation in 2015, they said. Starting out in the drone manufacturing business, Frank Wang realized, for the market to grow past the radio controlled hobby into a flourishing drone industry, drones needed to be simple, very reliable, small and reasonably priced.  ( In my opinion, they are connected to Apple, b/c off of there products are well over prices but yet the best on the market, sort of like MAC computers cs PC computers. The platforms are night and day and there is no comparison to the two a MAC vs PC... Even Apple's website runs just like DJi's!

Learn something new everyday.