Africa’s first defense tech prime Terra Industries closes $34 million funding round

Terra Industries, the Abuja-based startup aiming to become Africa’s first homegrown defense technology prime, has closed a $34 million funding round. The latest $22 million extension was led by New York venture capital firm Lux Capital and comes one month after the company raised $11.75 million as it emerged from stealth mode.

Funding boosts Terra’s African defense growth

The financing will expand autonomous security systems for critical infrastructure across Africa. The round attracted several high-profile investors, including 8VC, Nova Global, Silent Ventures, Tofino Capital, Belief Capital, Resilience17, as well as Nigerian fintech startup Flutterwave. Individual investors Jordan Nel and actor Jared Leto also participated.

Terra Industries says the funding will allow it to expand manufacturing, increase deployments, grow engineering and business development teams, and enhance surveillance and response capabilities for governments and infrastructure operators. The company currently protects $11 billion in national assets across the continent.

Africa’s industrial growth is accelerating, but insecurity, sabotage, terrorism and illegal mining continue to threaten progress and investment. Closing the gap between expanding infrastructure and reliable security is a priority. Terra Industries’ leadership says the company is focused on addressing these challenges while building the continent’s first defense prime.

Terra Industries builds autonomous defense systems

Founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, Terra Industries designs and manufactures autonomous defense systems for land, air and maritime operations. Its technology is already deployed at critical sites in multiple African countries.

Nwachuku, a former Physics Olympiad competitor, built an education technology platform at age 18 that reached hundreds of thousands of users globally. Maduka, who grew up in Nigerian naval barracks, served as a lead UAV engineer in the Nigerian Navy and founded a drone company at 19 that was later acquired by an automotive manufacturer.

Terra expands globally, eyes Saudi hub

Terra operates a 15,000-square-foot facility in Abuja and plans to expand its engineering and business teams in San Francisco and London. Its workforce is primarily African, supplemented by talent from global technology firms and Western defense organizations.

Last week, Terra signed a deal with Saudi industrial firm AIC Steel to establish a joint manufacturing hub in Saudi Arabia. The facility will produce autonomous aerial surveillance platforms, sensor networks, and AI software to protect energy, transport, and industrial assets. Africa remains its main market, but the Middle East move aligns with similar security needs.