Africa-focused defense technology company Terra Industries has raised an additional $22 million in funding to scale its autonomous security systems, extending a previously announced $11.8 million round and bringing total funding in the round to $34 million.
The extension was led by Lux Capital and included participation from existing investors 8VC, Nova Global, Silent Ventures, Belief Capital, Tofino Capital and Resilience17 Capital, which was founded by Flutterwave CEO Olugbenga Agboola. Angel investors in the round included Jordan Nel and actor Jared Leto.
The company said the funding was secured in less than two weeks, reflecting strong investor confidence in its mission to protect critical infrastructure and address rising insecurity and terrorism across the continent.
Founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku, 22, and Maxwell Maduka, 24, Terra Industries designs and manufactures autonomous defense systems that enable governments and infrastructure operators to monitor, secure and respond to threats across land, air and maritime environments. Its technology is already deployed at power plants, mines and other nationally strategic assets in several African countries.
Security gap amid industrial growth
Africa holds about 30% of the world’s critical mineral reserves and invests nearly $100 billion annually in infrastructure. Much of that development is occurring in remote or unstable regions, where security has struggled to keep pace with industrial expansion.
Across sub-Saharan Africa and the Sahel, infrastructure sabotage, illegal mining, organized crime and terrorism continue to disrupt supply chains and strain government capacity, creating a widening gap between investment and security.
“Africa is industrializing faster than any other region, with new mines, refineries and power plants emerging every month,” said Nwachuku, Terra Industries’ co-founder and chief executive. “But none of that progress will matter if we do not solve the continent’s greatest Achilles’ heel, which is insecurity and terrorism.”
To manage these risks, many operators rely on imported security systems, which can be costly to maintain and poorly adapted to local conditions. Dependence on external suppliers also raises concerns around data control, supply chain resilience and geopolitical exposure.
Building sovereign security capability
Terra Industries frames its approach around the idea of “Pax Africana,” emphasizing indigenous security capability and sovereign intelligence. The company is developing predictive, autonomous systems designed to replace troop-heavy, reactive security models with continuous surveillance and coordinated response tailored to Africa’s terrain and scale.
The company describes itself as building Africa’s first defense technology prime, offering a vertically integrated platform that includes autonomous drones, sentry towers and unmanned ground vehicles. These systems are connected through ArtemisOS, Terra’s proprietary software platform that enables real-time threat detection, autonomous mission planning and coordinated response.
Terra Industries said it currently secures infrastructure assets valued at about $11 billion and has tens of millions of dollars in active contracts, with a growing public- and private-sector pipeline across the continent.
All systems are designed and manufactured in Africa. The company operates a 15,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Abuja, Nigeria, staffed primarily by African engineers.
The additional $22 million will be used to expand manufacturing capacity, accelerate deployments in Nigeria and other African countries, and grow engineering, software and business development teams across Africa, London and San Francisco.
“We believe local defense technology must prevail, because security is the prerequisite for economic growth,” said Brandon Reeves, a partner at Lux Capital. “Terra Industries is building the African defense prime needed to secure sovereignty and counterterrorism capacity on the continent.”
