African Drone-Maker Terra Industries Raises US$52mn as Defense Demand Grow

Terra Industries, a Nigerian defense-technology startup developing autonomous systems for securing critical infrastructure, has raised an additional US$18 million, bringing its seed financing to US$52 million as it expands manufacturing and prepares for its first overseas office.

• The latest funding was backed by existing investors 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital and SV Angel, as well as new investor Norleo Space Investments and angel investor Grant Gordon. 
• Terra plans to use the money to open an office in London, increase production and expand its engineering, operations, and business-development teams.
• The company, founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, has since expanded from its Abuja manufacturing base into a broader operation serving infrastructure operators and governments in several African countries.

“Critical infrastructure across the Global South is best protected by systems designed for these environments and built in the regions they protect. This funding lets us scale that work and deepen our manufacturing base. It also puts us in the rooms where global defense decisions are made,” said co-founder and CEO, Nathan Nwachuku. 

Terra develops autonomous drones, interceptor drones, surveillance towers, unmanned ground vehicles and maritime systems. Its products are coordinated through ArtemisOS, proprietary software used for threat detection, mission planning, and the management of autonomous systems.

The company says its systems are deployed at power plants, mines and other critical assets with a combined value of about US$11 billion across multiple African countries. It has also said it has secured tens of millions of dollars in contracts from public- and private-sector customers, although it has not disclosed the customers or the value of individual contracts.

Terra's expansion comes as governments and infrastructure companies confront a security problem that is often more mundane than the language of modern defense technology suggests. Mines, power plants, roads and other critical state assets are frequently located far from major cities, where maintaining a large human security presence can be costly and difficult. Sabotage, illegal mining, organized crime, and militant activity have increased the need for persistent surveillance in parts of Africa. 

Autonomous systems offer a way to watch large or remote areas without relying entirely on personnel. They also allow operators to collect and process information locally, an increasingly important consideration for governments concerned about control of sensitive data.

Terra's approach is to manufacture much of that equipment in Africa rather than depend entirely on imported systems. Its existing Pax-1 facility in Abuja covers 15,000 square feet and is used to design and manufacture its systems.