Terra Industries Raises $11.75M to Scale Autonomous Defence…

Team S · 2026-01-14T14:36:44.000Z

Terra Industries, a Nigerian defence-tech startup building autonomous security and infrastructure protection systems, has raised $11.75 million in a seed funding round as it exits stealth mode and accelerates deployment of its hardware and software solutions aimed at securing critical infrastructure across Africa. The round one of the largest early-stage raises for an African defence tech company signals growing global investor confidence in homegrown security technology designed for local challenges. The $11.75M funding round was led by 8VC, the Silicon Valley venture capital firm founded by Joe Lonsdale, with participation from Valor Equity Partners, Lux Capital, SV Angel, Leblon Capital, Silent Ventures, Nova Global and a group of angel investors including Meyer Malka who has served on the board of Palantir. Terra’s leadership team has also added seasoned defence tech executives to its board, including Alex Moore, defense partner at 8VC and board director at Palantir, strengthening its strategic positioning in global markets. Terra Industries plans to use the new capital to expand manufacturing capacity, build additional defence technology factories across Africa, and grow its engineering and AI software teams. The company’s product suite includes long-range and mid-range autonomous drones, surveillance towers, unmanned ground vehicles and other multi-domain defence systems powered by its proprietary ArtemisOS platform which collects and analyses real-time sensor data to detect and respond to threats. Terra’s solutions are already deployed to secure infrastructure assets valued at approximately $11 billion, including hydropower plants and mining operations across multiple countries. Founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku (CEO) and Maxwell Maduka (CTO), Terra Industries is headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria and is building what its leadership describes as Africa’s first defence prime a vertically integrated company combining hardware, software, and autonomous systems tailored for the continent’s security needs. The founders have emphasised the importance of African-built technology engineered for African infrastructure, while planning to open software offices in San Francisco and London to attract global engineering talent, with manufacturing remaining on the continent to support local job creation and industrial capacity growth. #TerraIndustries, #DefenceTech, #AutonomousDefense, #SeedFunding, #8VC, #AfricanStartups, #SecurityInnovation, #InfrastructureProtection, #AIinDefense, #HardwareTech, #StartupFunding, #GlobalInvestors, #Manufacturing

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Terra Industries Raises $11.75M to Scale Autonomous Defence… | Newnex