Terra Industries, the Nigerian defence technology startup building autonomous systems to secure critical infrastructure across Africa, has raised an additional $22 million in a seed extension round led by Lux Capital, bringing its total seed funding to $34 million.
The extension round drew participation from existing and new investors including 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital, Tofino Capital, and Resilience17. High-profile angels such as Jordan Nel and Jared Leto also backed the round.
Founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, Terra Industries (formerly Terrahaptix) is positioning itself as a vertically integrated defence-tech company developing autonomous drones, unmanned ground vehicles, and AI-powered sensor towers. Its proprietary operating system, ArtemisOS, coordinates fleets of hardware for perimeter security, surveillance, and infrastructure protection.
The company focuses on safeguarding high-value infrastructure across Africa, including power plants, mining operations, industrial sites, and transportation corridors. As security threats targeting critical assets increase across parts of the continent, Terra argues that locally designed, AI-driven defence systems can provide faster deployment and better contextual adaptation than imported alternatives.
The speed of the extension round stands out. Just weeks prior, Terra had announced an earlier seed raise led by 8VC, the firm co-founded by Joe Lonsdale. The fresh capital reportedly came together in under two weeks, signaling strong investor conviction in the company’s early traction and long-term thesis.
Investors are betting on Terra’s integrated hardware-plus-software approach — a model often compared to U.S. defence technology players like Anduril Industries and Palantir Technologies. By designing and manufacturing its own systems while controlling the intelligence layer through ArtemisOS, Terra aims to avoid reliance on fragmented third-party components.
The new funding will be used to scale manufacturing capacity, expand engineering teams, and accelerate deployment across additional African markets. The company has also signaled ambitions beyond the continent, exploring strategic international manufacturing partnerships.
Terra’s $34 million seed total is one of the largest early-stage raises for a defence-focused startup emerging from Africa, and reflects a growing appetite among global investors for deep tech opportunities outside traditional Silicon Valley strongholds.
If Terra executes on its roadmap, it won’t just be building drones — it will be building the foundation of a new African defence prime.
