Terra Industries, a Nigerian defence-technology startup that builds autonomous security systems using its proprietary software, has raised an additional $18 million, closing Africa’s largest seed round at $52 million.
Norleo Space Investments and angel investor Grant Gordon participated in the round as new investors alongside existing investors 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital, and SV Angel.
Terra said in a statement that it will use the capital to open its first international office in London, expand its manufacturing capacity, accelerate deployment of its products across the Global South, and grow its team in the engineering, operations, and business development departments.
The raise comes amid a busy year for Terra, which raised $11.75 million in January, the largest funding round in the African defence-tech sector. One month later, it raised $22 million in a follow-on round led by Lux Capital. The company has since announced a 34,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Ghana and signed a memorandum of understanding with Nigeria’s Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to establish a joint venture for local production of defence systems.
“Critical infrastructure across the Global South is best protected by systems designed for these environments and built in the regions they protect,” Nathan Nwachuku, co-founder and chief executive of Terra Industries, said. “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.”
Founded in 2024 by Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, Terra develops autonomous systems that help governments and infrastructure operators monitor critical assets, such as power plants and mines, across land, air, and maritime environments. Its products include long- and mid-range autonomous drones, interceptor drones, sentry towers, and unmanned ground vehicles.
These systems are connected through ArtemisOS, Terra’s proprietary software platform, which enables real-time threat detection, autonomous mission planning, and coordinated responses, according to the company. It says its technology is already deployed to protect nationally critical assets worth approximately $11 billion across several African countries.
The follow-on capital will give Terra more room to build its infrastructure. It noted that its London office is intended to give the company access to institutions that shape global defence and infrastructure markets, as well as operations and AI talent, while manufacturing remains centred in Africa.