Early DJI Investor Selling $108M London Property Portfolio Including Iconic Sky Pool Apartments

An early investor who helped fund DJI when it was struggling to survive is now selling a portfolio of luxury London apartments worth approximately £81 million ($108 million), Bloomberg reports.

Lu Di, described as “a friend of Frank Wang’s father,” provided critical early funding when DJI founder Frank Wang was building the company from a Hong Kong dorm room. That bet paid off spectacularly. According to the Hurun Global Rich List 2024, Lu Di’s net worth now stands at approximately 17 billion yuan ($2.3 billion), largely derived from his early DJI stake.

The London portfolio being sold includes a £68 million ($90.9 million) penthouse overlooking Green Park in Mayfair, at least eight apartments at the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair development valued at over £20 million, and eight flats at the iconic Embassy Gardens project in Vauxhall, according to Bloomberg.

The $90,000 Bet That Made Billions

Lu Di’s connection to DJI runs deep. When Frank Wang was struggling to keep his fledgling drone company alive in the mid-2000s, facing high employee turnover and internal disagreements, Lu Di stepped in with approximately $90,000 in critical funding and managed the company’s finances during its formative years.

That investment came at a crucial moment. By 2009, three early team members who started with Frank Wang had all left DJI. Lu Di’s financial support and management helped stabilize the company during this turbulent period.

The gamble paid off beyond imagination. DJI launched its first Phantom drone in 2012, and sales exploded, increasing approximately 100 times between 2011 and 2015. Today, DJI is the world’s largest consumer drone manufacturer with about 14,000 employees across five countries and revenue exceeding 80 billion yuan.

“The early investor referenced has no operational role in the company’s management or day-to-day affairs,” a representative for SZ DJI Technology Co. wrote in an emailed statement to Bloomberg. Lu Di could not be reached for comment.

The London Properties

UK property and corporate records show Lu Di is the beneficial owner of the companies through which the London properties are held: CL George Real Estate Limited and CL Luffy Real Estate Limited. He is also listed as a director of a third UK company, DJI Racing Limited.

The properties were acquired beginning in 2019 for an aggregate total of approximately £81 million. They are now being marketed separately through various agents.

The crown jewel is the Mayfair penthouse overlooking Green Park, asking £68 million. The Mandarin Oriental Mayfair development, located on Hanover Square between Bond Street and Regent Street, features 80 private residences alongside a boutique hotel with access to a spa, 25-meter indoor pool, and rooftop terrace.

The Sky Pool Connection

Among the properties being sold are eight flats at Embassy Gardens, the luxury development in London’s Nine Elms neighborhood famous for its transparent “Sky Pool” suspended 115 feet (35 meters) in the air between two residential towers.

The pool, which opened in 2021, is the largest freestanding acrylic pool structure in the world. It allows residents to swim between two buildings while gazing down at the streets of London below, with views of the London Eye and Westminster Palace. The pool was manufactured in Colorado and shipped 5,000 miles to its location adjacent to the US Embassy.

Embassy Gardens apartments overlooking the Sky Pool start at approximately £1 million, with penthouses reaching £9 million or more. The development includes 2,000 homes with access to exclusive amenities including a spa, cinema, gym, and the iconic floating swimming pool.

DroneXL’s Take

Lu Di’s story is a reminder of the extraordinary wealth created by DJI’s rise from a struggling startup to global drone dominance.

When Frank Wang was building flight controllers in his dorm room at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, few believed consumer drones would become a multi-billion dollar industry. Lu Di did. His $90,000 investment, made when the company was hemorrhaging talent and struggling to find its footing, has returned thousands of times over.

As we explored in our deep dive into DJI’s rise from Frank Wang’s dream to drone empire, the company’s early days were marked by instability. The fact that a family friend was willing to bet on Wang during those uncertain times, and to actively manage the company’s finances, speaks to the personal relationships that underpinned DJI’s survival.

DJI has always maintained that founder Frank Wang and co-founders hold 97% of voting rights, with early investors having no operational role. Lu Di’s property sale doesn’t change DJI’s operations or ownership structure. It’s simply one early believer taking some chips off the table after an almost unimaginable return on investment.

The London luxury property market has been challenging in recent years, with some high-end properties selling at significant discounts. Whether Lu Di is diversifying, taking profits, or simply restructuring his holdings, the sale is a reminder that behind DJI’s corporate structure are real people who took real risks when the company was just an idea in a dorm room.

What do you think about Lu Di’s role in DJI’s early history? Share your thoughts in the comments below.