2015 consumer-grade drones connect two consecutive industrial-grade drones smoothly

In 2015, although the capital market has undergone a certain contraction, this did not interrupt the research and development enthusiasm of drone manufacturers and the addition of new players.

2015 consumer-grade drones connect two consecutive industrial-grade drones smoothly

Consumer-grade drones refer to aircrafts that are intended for individual consumers, mainly for entertainment and aerial photography, and are generally four- or six-axis multi-rotor models, mainly consisting of flight control systems, power systems, and communications. The system, the pan/tilt and the shooting equipment, the ground control station (remote control handle, tablet, mobile phone, etc.) and the airframe system can realize autonomous flight/semi-autonomous flight, that is, it can complete automatic take-off and landing, fixed-point hover according to the control algorithm. Around the point of flight, route planning and other functions.

Consumer-grade drones have experienced rapid growth in sales in recent years, and the industry has begun to rise. The global market demand is strong. According to the data, the global consumer-grade UAV scale increased from 14.95 billion yuan to 11.05 billion yuan in 2013-2015, and the sales volume increased from 600,000 units to 4.3 million units. The average annual compound growth rate was 171.87%. 167.71%. According to IDC data, the domestic sales of drones in the past 15 years are nearly 100,000 units, the market size is nearly 300 million yuan, and it is expected to reach 390,000 units in 16 years. By 2019, sales will exceed 3 million units.

Consumer-grade UAV market grows rapidly in 2013-2015

Domestic consumer-grade drone market continues to be hot

According to statistics, in 2015, the export volume of consumer drones reached 3.03 billion yuan, and the number of exported drones was about 650,000, which is nearly 9 times higher than that in 2014. Judging from the available data, the high growth rate will continue to be maintained in 2016, which is expected to double the year-on-year growth. Hong Kong, the United States, and the European Union are major consumers of drones, while UAVs imported from Hong Kong mainly flow to Europe and the United States.

Shenzhen Customs drone exports increased rapidly

Hong Kong, the United States and the European Union are major markets for drones

The rapid expansion of industry leader DJI in recent years is remarkable. Its sales increased from less than 200 million yuan in 2012 to 6.4 billion yuan in 2015. During the period, CAGR reached 217%. It is also the main exporter of Shenzhen UAVs. , accounting for more than 95% of total exports.

Dajiang accounts for more than 95% of the export of Shenzhen Customs drones

Dajiang’s sales revenue has increased dramatically over the years

Parrot is a French drone-listed company with a global market share second only to Dajiang. According to data disclosure, the company's drone business in 2014 and 2015 was 515 million and 1.133 billion, respectively. The growth rates were as high as 535.9%, 319.2%, 159.9% and 192.3%, respectively. In 2015, Zero Team joined forces with Leibo Technology to enter the consumer market, and released the Xplorer and Xplorer 2 generations of explosive aerial photography. The related announcements showed that the revenue in the first three quarters of the 15-year period reached 35 million, an increase of 152% over the same period of the previous year. Revenue may exceed 50 million yuan.

Zero-degree intelligence control 2015 consumer drone revenue surge

Parrot's drone revenue growth in 2014-2015

According to incomplete statistics, there are many participants in the consumer drone market in China, and the total number of cottage manufacturers that do not have core competitiveness is about 400. Among them, the more well-known domestic manufacturers are Shenzhen Dajiang Innovation, Zero Intelligence Control, Yuxiang Yuneec and Yihang UAV, and the rising stars include cornerstone, Manta Intelligence, skye, Huakeer, Feibao and other manufacturers. Well-known foreign manufacturers are mainly 3D RoboTIcs in the United States and Parrot in France. China's consumer-grade UAV industry is at the global leading level in terms of the number of enterprises and the level of technology. For example, the CES exhibition, which is known as the science and technology wind vane, has more than 60 drone manufacturers in the exhibition in 2016, of which 80% are Chinese manufacturers.

Major manufacturers of consumer drone industry

Judging from the current market competition pattern, Dajiang is undoubtedly the leader in the consumer drone industry. With its mature drone core technology, excellent marketing promotion and in-depth brand image, the company has become the most popular drone brand in the world. According to statistics, the global market share of Dajiang in 2014 and 2015 was as high as 70% and 68.5%, respectively, while the second-ranked Parrot market accounted for only about 12%. American drone manufacturer 3D RoboTIcs ranked third in the world in 2014, with a market share of only 2% in 2014.

Global drone market distribution in 2014

Global drone market distribution in 2015

In 2015, new and old faces in the domestic venture capital field were in full swing, expanding the scale of financing and adding products and markets. In the past 15 years, Dajiang has received tens of millions of dollars in investment from well-known VCs such as Sequoia, Maixing and Accel Partners, of which Accel invested US$75 million, corresponding to a valuation of USD 8 billion in Dajiang. Yihang B round financing was supported by institutions such as Gimpo Group, GGV Jiyuan Capital and Zhenge Fund, with a financing amount of US$42 million. Soaring and zero-degree intelligence control were awarded by Intel and Leibo Technology, the leading enterprises outside the industry, with an investment amount of 60 million US dollars and 50 million yuan respectively. In addition, new entrants such as Feibao, cornerstone information and star chart drones also received A-round financing of RMB 150 million, RMB 100 million and RMB 20 million respectively.

2015 domestic drone VCs list

In 2015, overseas drones were targeted at core technology development companies and small drone manufacturers. The Airware Company's B-round financing, which is mainly developed for the UAV operating system, amounted to US$30 million and continues to focus on creating an “Android” platform similar to the UAV field. The startup company Skydio mainly develops drone vision technology. The A-round financing scale is 3 million US dollars. This fund will be used for the development of computer vision systems for drones, enabling autonomous flight of drones. Lily is positioned in a small drone product that can be used for selfies and self-portraits. After the release of the prototype in 15 years, it is currently priced at $15 million. The airdog is similar to the lily positioning, and has now started the crowdfunding on the Kickstarter platform.

2015 Global UAV Ventures List