Recently, I had a conversation with a friend who works as a headhunter in the hardware industry. He mentioned that his most sought-after clients are startups founded by individuals from the DJI ecosystem, and he had nothing but praise for them:

The DJI ecosystem is known for its technological prowess, ability to tackle complex challenges, exposure to significant projects, and excellence in project execution. These individuals have a clear vision of what they want to achieve and what they are capable of. They understand the talent mix required to drive business growth.

I previously penned an article titled 'Smart AI Hardware: Overthrowing DJI and Conquering New Markets | Hard Thoughts'. The phrase "overthrow DJI and conquer new markets" is my own creation, succinctly summarizing a current trend in AI hardware:

There's a strong desire to emulate DJI's success, and capital is particularly drawn to entrepreneurial talent emerging from DJI. Projects are best positioned for international expansion!

This article provides a snapshot of companies within the DJI ecosystem that have made their mark in the smart hardware sector over the past two years, particularly around 2024-2025, coinciding with the rise of AI hardware.

1. Kuangye Innovation (Gong Ding): Previously worked in DJI's flight control R&D department; now focuses on outdoor smart vehicles.

2. Miaodong Technology (Gao Jianrong): Former head of the marketing department at DJI; now specializes in consumer-grade robots.

3. No.3 Universe (Li Yang): Previously a power system expert at DJI; now focuses on AI companion robots.

4. Yingchen Technology (Li Jinji): Worked on Nvidia and DJI Mavic products; now focuses on 4K imaging glasses.

5. Paidao Technology (Su Tie): Former product lead for DJI Ronin; now in the business of AI instant cameras.

6. Zettlab (Wuyun Innovation) (Guo Yanan): Previously an R&D engineer at DJI; now developing AI NAS storage.

7. Ludens Intelligence (Xue Lijun): Former algorithm engineer at DJI; now in the business of intelligent companion robots.

Among the earlier established outstanding companies, the most renowned are Tao Ye of Pioneer Smart and Wang Lei of EcoFlow, who are considered highly successful. If we must include Wang Xingxing of Unitree, he certainly deserves a mention as well.

According to IT Juzi, since 2025, nearly 20 companies founded by former DJI employees have secured funding. There's even an unspoken rule in the industry: some DJI business leaders can immediately secure 20 million yuan in funding as soon as they decide to start their own business, even without a clear direction.

Image: A Picasso-style rendering of the DJI headquarters, Sky City.

Today, I'll continue to discuss which DJI-affiliated companies have received significant capital injections since 2026.

1. Lumisition Robotics: Focuses on consumer-grade quadruped robots, positioned as an 'all-terrain mobile chassis.'

In July 2026, it completed an angel round financing of nearly 50 million yuan, led by Zhengxuan Investment. Founded in February 2026, its founder, Le Linzhu, holds a Ph.D. from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and has a background as a DJI engineer.

2. Deeplore: Specializes in underwater AI natural exploration and develops AI diving masks.

In July 2026, it completed a seed round financing of several tens of millions of yuan, with investors including Wuyuan Capital and Shunwei Capital. Founded in Shenzhen in 2025, its founder, Qiu Li, previously served as a core structural expert at DJI. Co-founder Zhou Zhenhao led the development of power systems for several benchmark products at DJI, including the Phantom and Mavic. Both are avid divers and outdoor enthusiasts.

3. CLAWLAB: Launched a consumer-grade AI textile machine, with its first product being an automatic tufting gun, used as a small-scale market validation tool overseas, generating nearly 100 million yuan in cumulative revenue over two years.

In July 2026, it completed several rounds of financing exceeding 100 million yuan, with investors including Sequoia, Shunwei Capital, Vision Knight Capital, and MiHoYo. Its founder, Hu Wenxin, has a background as a DJI engineer.

4. DRAXON: Focuses on outdoor off-road all-terrain vehicles.

In January 2026, it received angel round investment from Sequoia China and Shunwei Capital; in February 2026, it received rare direct investment from DJI Innovation. Its founder, Long Biao, previously served as the core R&D leader for DJI's e-bike project.

5. Xuanji Power: Specializes in industrial-grade and consumer-grade robot platforms.

In 2025, it completed an angel round financing of nearly 100 million yuan; in April 2026, it completed a Pre-A round financing of several hundred million yuan. Its founder, Ou Di, previously served as the product lead for DJI's Inspire series.

6. Tashi Intelligent Navigation: Focuses on industrial embodied intelligent robots.

In April 2026, it completed a Pre-A round financing of 455 million US dollars, led by Hillhouse Capital and Sequoia China, setting a record for the largest single-round financing in China's embodied intelligence sector. Its founder, Chen Yilun, previously served as the chief engineer of machine vision at DJI.

7. Qiuzhi Technology: Specializes in consumer-grade embodied intelligent robots.

In July 2026, it completed an angel round financing exceeding 100 million US dollars, setting a record for the consumer-grade embodied robot sector. Its chief scientist, Zhou Guyue, previously served as a core team member and senior scientist at DJI.

8. Minbai Intelligence: Focuses on large model technology innovation and application implementation.

On July 15, Minbai Intelligence announced the completion of a new round of financing, with cumulative financing exceeding 5 billion yuan in the first half of 2026 and a valuation exceeding 20 billion yuan. Its key figure, Zeng Guoyang, is a former DJI AI algorithm engineer and one of the most notable 'DJI-affiliated' AI companies in this sector.

9. Qingyu Technology: Focuses on flexible embodied intelligence and builds a general-purpose embodied intelligent system.

In 2026, it completed three rounds of financing: angel, angel+, and Pre-A, with investors including Shunwei Capital and Wuyuan Capital. Its founder, Peng Rui, previously worked as an embedded engineer at DJI.

10. Infimaker: Specializes in consumer-grade desktop five-axis CNC machines.

In May 2026, it completed angel and Pre-A round financings of nearly 100 million yuan, with investors including Meituan Strategic Investments, Kunlun Capital, and MiraclePlus. The company was co-founded by Xie Bowen (responsible for perception algorithms for robotic vacuums) and Xiang Linjian, both former core members of DJI.

Postscript:

Regarding why talents from DJI are so highly sought after by capital, besides the fact that they generally have a strong reputation, exceptional product development capabilities, and commercialization skills—they can truly "fight"—it is also because DJI, often referred to as the "Whampoa Military Academy" of hardware, has produced many remarkable figures, such as Tao Ye of Pioneer Smart and Wang Lei of EcoFlow.

When discussing the differences between talents from another well-known faction in the smart hardware industry and those from DJI with a former employee, he mentioned:

"Our people tend to have weaker individual fighting capabilities but strong overall control abilities. DJI people at the director level generally have average control abilities but stronger individual capabilities."

"Our people prefer grand narratives and enjoy being evangelists; DJI people prefer to focus on specific directions that may not sound as grand but are easier to grasp."

"Our people have severe path dependency on their past experiences and rely more on their previous platforms. They are more willing to believe in their abilities within the platform and less willing to accept that the platform's capabilities far exceed their own. DJI people who left in the early years, however, were very good at absorbing experiences from DJI and honing themselves in the process. Of course, this may not be the case for DJI people who left after 2024."

Of course, there is indeed a fear of missing out (FOMO) sentiment in the market. Once, when chatting with a former DJI employee about the rumor that "employees can immediately secure 20 million yuan in financing for starting a business without a specific direction," he smiled and said that behind all good things, there are always unknown parts, such as certain bet clauses. Additionally, while DJI does train people, it is mainly the older generation. The skills and value of those who joined DJI more recently have indeed diminished significantly.