In a continent racing toward industrialisation but plagued by persistent insecurity, a bold Nigerian startup is stepping up to safeguard the future. Terra Industries, formerly known as Terrahaptix, has emerged from a brief hiatus in the defence sector with a resounding $11.75 million funding round, signaling a determined push to build homegrown autonomous security systems for Africa’s critical infrastructure.
Founded in 2024 by two young visionaries — 22-year-old chief executive officer Nathan Nwachuku and 24-year-old chief technology officer Maxwell Maduka — the company operates from a 15000-square-foot facility in Abuja, Nigeria capital.
From robotics to full defence prime
What began as a robotics venture producing drones for commercial sectors like mining, energy and agriculture has evolved into a full-fledged defence technology prime, inspired by United States giants like Anduril and Palantir.
The turning point came recently when the founders decided to fully embrace the defence label.
“We need to protect Africa critical infrastructure from terrorist attacks,” Nwachuku told Who Owns Africa. “We have been a bit wary of calling ourselves a defence company, but now we’re doing it fully.”
Africa is industrialising faster than any other region, with new mines, refineries, power plants and other facilities sprouting monthly. Yet this progress is vulnerable: extremist groups increasingly target pipelines, hydropower dams and mining sites to finance operations, costing the continent billions annually in lost revenue and disrupted development.
Sovereign intelligence for the continent
Terra mission, Nwachuku emphasised, is to deliver sovereign intelligence — technology designed, manufactured and controlled on the continent — reducing reliance on foreign suppliers from the West, China and Russia.
“This is African technology, built by African engineers, for African infrastructure,” Maduka added. “We are creating skilled jobs, building advanced manufacturing capacity, and ensuring the intellectual property behind Africa security stays on the continent.”
The $11.75 million seed round, one of the largest in Africa nascent defence-tech sector, was led by 8VC, the venture firm founded by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale. Participation came from Valor Equity Partners, Lux Capital, SV Angel, Leblon Capital, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, and angel investors including Alex Moore (a Palantir board director and 8VC defence partner) and Meyer Malka.
Nwachuku was deliberate in choosing backers who understand defence complexities.
“The rules for a defence company are very different from the rules for a fintech company,” he explained. “We need to structure the company properly in order to protect trillions of dollars worth of critical infrastructure.”
Strategic board and impressive track record
Strategic board additions underscore the ambition: Eliot Pence, a former Anduril executive, and Moore bring deep expertise in scaling defence primes. About 40 percent of Terra engineers have prior experience in the Nigerian military, while Maduka himself is a former Nigerian Navy UAV engineer who founded a drone company at 19.
The company track record is already impressive. Since launching, Terra has generated over $2.5 million in commercial revenue and secured contracts protecting assets valued at approximately $11 billion across Africa. Deployments include hydropower plants in Nigeria — where, in a notable win, Terra outbid an Israeli consortium for a $1.2 million contract in 2025 — and gold and lithium mines in Ghana and Nigeria.
Flagship products include the Archer long-range surveillance drone, Duma ground drone, autonomous sentry towers like Kallot (detecting threats up to 5km), and the proprietary ArtemisOS software platform. ArtemisOS integrates real-time data from sensors and drones, enabling autonomous threat detection, mission planning, and alerts to response forces.
Brief exit and rapid pivot
The brief exit from explicit defence work in 2024 — attributed to ethical considerations and United States investor restrictions on foreign military sales — proved temporary. As threats escalated, the founders pivoted back, framing infrastructure security as the frontline against terrorism in Africa context.
With fresh capital, Terra plans to expand manufacturing, hire more AI and engineering talent, and deploy across allied nations. While software offices may open in San Francisco and London, production remains rooted in Africa to foster local jobs and sovereignty.
Edge over regional peers
Compared to peers like Sora (AI-powered drones for malaria control and other sectors, recently raising $7.3 million) or Zipline (medical logistics), Terra stands out as the only truly African-owned player in high-stakes defence hardware. Its vertical integration — building carbon airframes, power systems, and software in-house — allows customisation for local terrain, lower costs (up to 55 percent cheaper than imports), and data sovereignty through partnerships with African cloud providers.
Critics question foreign funding influence, but Nwachuku highlights retained African investors from earlier rounds and the company Pan-African ethos.
“I’m a Pan-Africanist,” he said. “I want to see Africa work in my lifetime.”
As insecurity threatens to undermine the continent industrial boom, Terra Industries represents a generational bet: that African ingenuity, backed by global expertise, can deliver the technological edge needed to secure progress and defeat terrorism. With rapid growth and high-profile endorsements, the startup is poised to reshape how Africa defends its future — from within.
