Terra Industries, a defense technology company building autonomous security systems to protect Africa's critical infrastructure, has raised an additional $22 million in funding led by Lux Capital. The strategic extension brings its previously announced $11.8 million round to a total of $34 million.
The extension included participation from existing investors 8VC, Nova Global, Silent Ventures, Belief Capital, Tofino Capital, and Resilience17 Capital, founded by Flutterwave CEO Olugbenga Agboola. Angel investors Jordan Nel and Jared Leto also joined the round. The entire extension came together in under two weeks, reflecting strong investor confidence in Terra's role safeguarding critical infrastructure and addressing insecurity and terrorism across the continent.
Africa is entering a decisive phase of industrialization. The continent holds roughly 30% of the world's critical mineral reserves and invests close to $100 billion annually in infrastructure development. Yet much of this growth is happening in remote and sometimes unstable regions where security has not kept pace with economic expansion.
Across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Sahel, infrastructure sabotage, illegal mining, organized crime, and terrorism continue to disrupt industries and livelihoods. This gap between investment and security undermines supply chains, weakens investor confidence, and strains government capacity. That gap is widening as industrial activity accelerates across the continent.
"Africa is industrializing faster than any other region, with new mines, refineries, and power plants emerging every month. But none of that progress will matter if we don't solve the continent's greatest Achilles' heel, which is insecurity and terrorism," said Nathan Nwachuku, co-founder and CEO of Terra Industries.
To manage these risks, many infrastructure operators and governments still rely on imported security systems. However, these solutions can be expensive to maintain and are not always suited to local conditions. Dependence on external suppliers may introduce geopolitical risks, supply chain disruptions, and concerns over data control.
The additional $22 million will fund expanded manufacturing capacity, accelerate deployments across Nigeria and allied African countries, and grow Terra's engineering, software, and business development leadership teams across Africa, London, and San Francisco.
Terra Industries already secures infrastructure assets valued at approximately $11 billion, with tens of millions in contracts and a robust public and private sector pipeline across the continent. The company designs, builds, and manufactures its systems on the continent, with an engineering team composed primarily of African talent operating out of a 15,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Abuja, Nigeria's capital city.
Founded in 2024 by 22-year-old Nathan Nwachuku and 24-year-old Maxwell Maduka, Terra Industries designs and manufactures autonomous defense systems that help governments and infrastructure operators monitor, secure, and respond to threats across land, air, and maritime environments. Its technology is already deployed to protect power plants, mines, and other nationally critical assets across multiple African countries.
Terra's approach reflects a practical interpretation of Pax Africana, the long-standing idea that Africa should take primary responsibility for peace and security across the continent. For Terra, this translates into a model built on indigenous security capability and sovereign intelligence.
In practical terms, this means future security efforts across the continent will rely less on troop-heavy, reactive approaches and more on predictive systems enabled by continuous infrastructure surveillance, scalable autonomous technology across varied terrains, and data sovereignty that allows African states to detect, deter, and respond to threats on their own terms.
Terra Industries is building Africa's first vertically integrated defense technology platform. Its product portfolio includes long and mid-range autonomous drones, sentry towers, and unmanned ground vehicles, all connected through ArtemisOS, Terra's proprietary software platform that enables real-time threat detection, autonomous mission planning, and coordinated response across vast and difficult environments.
The systems are designed specifically for the continent's terrain, scale, and operational realities, addressing challenges that off-the-shelf international solutions often struggle to meet.
"We believe in a future where local defense technology prevails, because security is the prerequisite for all economic growth. That's why Terra Industries is building the African defense prime that secures sovereignty and provides the necessary counterterrorism technology on the continent," said Brandon Reeves, Partner at Lux Capital.
Lux Capital led the $22 million extension, joined by existing investors including 8VC, Nova Global, Silent Ventures, Tofino Capital, Belief Capital, and Resilience17 Capital. Angel investors Jordan Nel and Jared Leto also participated in the round.
Terra Industries is a multi-domain systems and data intelligence company building the defense prime for Africa. The company serves critical sectors including energy, mineral resources, urban infrastructure, maritime assets, border security, and counterterrorism operations. Terra's mission is to give Africa the technological edge needed to secure its future, working with governments, infrastructure operators, and strategic partners across Africa and internationally.
