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已經(jīng)涌現(xiàn)為新興民用無(wú)人機(jī)市場(chǎng)領(lǐng)軍者之一的中國(guó)DJI公司從硅谷風(fēng)險(xiǎn)投資商阿克塞爾合伙公司(Accel Partners)籌集到7500萬(wàn)美元,。
這筆交易將總部設(shè)在中國(guó)深圳的DJI的市場(chǎng)估值定在約80億美元。據(jù)一位了解交易情況的人說(shuō),，這是阿克塞爾有史以來(lái)最大的一筆投資,。該人要求匿名。
對(duì)公司極高的估值反映了DJI在無(wú)人機(jī)市場(chǎng)的快速增長(zhǎng),，這個(gè)市場(chǎng)已經(jīng)讓公眾著迷,。盡管在像美國(guó)這樣的國(guó)家，監(jiān)管和執(zhí)法部門仍在努力設(shè)法解決向帶有相機(jī)的無(wú)人機(jī)開(kāi)放天空所帶來(lái)的安全和隱私風(fēng)險(xiǎn)問(wèn)題,，只要遵守一定的規(guī)則,，業(yè)余愛(ài)好者們就可以隨便放飛像DJI生產(chǎn)的Phantom那樣的無(wú)人機(jī)。而監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)也開(kāi)始放松對(duì)無(wú)人機(jī)商業(yè)使用,、比如航空攝影和檢查作物的限制,。亞馬遜公司(Amazon)正在測(cè)試用無(wú)人機(jī)投遞小包裹。
“我們投資的規(guī)模確實(shí)顯示了我們認(rèn)為這個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)能有多大,，”阿克塞爾合伙人薩米爾·甘地(Sameer Gandhi)說(shuō),，這家風(fēng)投公司在Facebook的早期投資最為人知。公司也入股了其它初創(chuàng)公司,，比如Dropbox和Slack,。
DJI已涌現(xiàn)為無(wú)人機(jī)市場(chǎng)最耀眼的名字之一。它的Phantom 2無(wú)人機(jī)是有四個(gè)水平旋翼的直升機(jī),，起價(jià)為859美元(約合5330元人民幣),，而像“悟”Inspire 1這樣的高端機(jī)型起價(jià)為2900美元。今年一月,，被情報(bào)機(jī)構(gòu)一名下了班的員工醉酒后意外墜落在白宮草地上的就是一架Phantom無(wú)人機(jī),。
《福布斯》雜志(Forbes)周二發(fā)表了一篇介紹DJI的文章,，文章說(shuō)，DJI今年的銷售額有望超過(guò)10億美元,。與之相比,，公司去年的營(yíng)收大約為5億美元，利潤(rùn)為120萬(wàn)美元,。另一位知曉DJI財(cái)政狀況的人士證實(shí)了這些數(shù)字的準(zhǔn)確性,，但要求不具名,，因?yàn)楣旧形垂_(kāi)發(fā)布數(shù)字,。
另一家硅谷投資公司紅杉資本(Sequoia Capital)去年向DJI投資了約3000萬(wàn)美元,。
其它無(wú)人機(jī)制造商也在垂涎這一市場(chǎng),。上個(gè)月，加州伯克利的無(wú)人機(jī)制造商3DR從一群風(fēng)險(xiǎn)投資家和企業(yè)投資方募集到640萬(wàn)美元,，3DR的創(chuàng)始人之一是克里斯·安德森(Chris Anderson),，他曾是《連線》(Wired)雜志的主編,。
阿克塞爾的甘地把DJI的增長(zhǎng)描述為中國(guó)技術(shù)公司的轉(zhuǎn)折點(diǎn)，因?yàn)槿藗兺J(rèn)為中國(guó)技術(shù)公司靠山寨美國(guó)和其他國(guó)家的創(chuàng)新為生,。
甘地說(shuō),，“這是首次,，你看到一家國(guó)際公司,、一家中國(guó)公司作為創(chuàng)新者。坦率地說(shuō),，這家公司超越了世界其他地區(qū)的所有活動(dòng),，從創(chuàng)新的角度來(lái)看，真正成為了其他人都在追逐的公司,。”（doscana.com）
DJI, the Chinese company that has emerged as one of the leaders in the burgeoning civilian market for drones, has raised $75 million from Accel Partners, the Silicon Valley venture capital firm.
The deal values DJI, which is based in Shenzen, China, at about $8 billion, according to one person briefed on the deal who spoke on condition of anonymity. It is one of Accel’s largest investments ever.
The soaring valuation for the company reflects DJI’s rapid growth in drones, a market that has captivated the public even as regulators and law enforcement in countries like the United States grapple with the safety and privacy risks of opening the skies to unmanned aircraft with cameras. Hobbyists are free to fly drones like the Phantom from DJI as long as they obey certain rules, while regulators are beginning to relax restrictions on their commercial uses, like aerial photography and inspecting crops. Amazon is testing drones for delivering small packages.
“The size of our investment really shows how big we think the opportunity can become,” said Sameer Gandhi, a partner at Accel, which is best known for its early investment in Facebook. It also has stakes in other start-ups like Dropbox and Slack.
DJI has emerged as the one of most prominent names in the market. Its Phantom 2 drone, a copter with four rotors, starts at $859, while higher-end models like the Inspire 1 start at $2,900. It was a Phantom drone that an intoxicated off-duty intelligence agency employee accidentally crashed onto the grounds of the White House in January.
Forbes on Tuesday published a profile of DJI in which it said that DJI was on track to exceed $1 billion in sales this year, compared with about $500 million in revenue last year and $120 million in profit. Another person familiar with DJI’s finances confirmed the accuracy of those figures, asking for anonymity because the company has not publicly released them.
Sequoia Capital, another Silicon Valley investment firm, invested around $30 million in DJI last year.
Other drone makers are angling for a piece of the market, too. Last month, 3DR, a drone maker in Berkeley, Calif., one of whose founders is Chris Anderson, a former editor of Wired magazine, raised $64 million from a group of venture capitalists and corporate investors.
Mr. Gandhi of Accel described the growth of DJI as a watershed moment for a Chinese technology company, because such companies are often thought of as copying innovations from companies in the United States and elsewher.
“For one of the first times, you’re seeing an international company, a Chinese company, being the innovator and frankly leapfrogging all activity in other parts of the world and truly being the company everyone is chasing from an innovation point of view,” Mr. Gandhi said.
