Terra Industries, a Nigerian 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 builds on its previously announced $11.8 million round, bringing total funding in the round to $34 million.
The extension included participation from existing investors such as 8VC, Nova Global, Silent Ventures, Belief Capital, Tofino Capital and Resilience17 Capital, founded by Flutterwave CEO Olugbenga Agboola as well as angel investors including Jordan Nel and Jared Leto. The second funding round closed in under two weeks, reflecting strong investor confidence in Terra Industries’ role in safeguarding critical infrastructure and addressing insecurity and terrorism across Africa.
Earlier in January, Terra raised $11.75 million in a funding round led by 8VC to expand its autonomous systems and software designed to help African governments and businesses protect critical infrastructure from escalating security threats.
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The company stated that the additional $22 million will fund expanded manufacturing capacity, accelerate deployments across Nigeria and allied African countries, and strengthen its engineering, software, and business development leadership teams across Africa, London, and San Francisco.
“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.
Africa is entering a decisive phase of industrialization, yet insecurity, illegal mining, sabotage, and terrorism continue to undermine investment and economic progress. The continent holds roughly 30 percent of the world’s critical mineral reserves and invests close to $100 billion annually in infrastructure, much of it located in remote or unstable regions where security capacity has not kept pace with development.
Across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Sahel, infrastructure sabotage, organized crime, and terrorism continue to disrupt supply chains, weaken investor confidence, and strain government capacity. As industrial activity accelerates, the gap between infrastructure growth and security continues to widen.
Founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, Terra Industries develops integrated land, air, and maritime security systems powered by ArtemisOS, its unified software platform for large-scale security operations. ArtemisOS combines data intelligence and autonomy to support infrastructure protection, while Artemis Cloud enables real-time surveillance data analysis and Artemis Autonomy provides command-and-control capabilities.
The company’s engineering team reflects its defense-oriented mission, with about 40 percent of its engineers previously serving in the Nigerian military. Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Maxwell Maduka is a former Nigerian Navy engineer who founded a drone company at age 19. 8VC partner Alex Moore serves on Terra’s board, while Nigeria’s Vice Air Marshal Ayo Jolasinmi acts as an advisor.
Earlier this month, Terra Industries signed an agreement with AIC Steel, a Saudi industrial giant, to establish a joint manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia focused on infrastructure surveillance and security systems. The facility will produce autonomous aerial surveillance platforms, sensor systems, and supporting software designed to protect energy assets, transportation networks, and industrial facilities across Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.
The agreement marks Terra Industries’ first major manufacturing expansion outside Africa, reinforcing its strategic focus on infrastructure protection in emerging markets facing similar security challenges.
Outlook
With fresh capital and rapid investor backing, the company is positioned to accelerate deployments across high-risk infrastructure corridors in Nigeria and allied African markets. Expansion of manufacturing capacity and the rollout of ArtemisOS-powered systems could strengthen localized defense technology capabilities while reducing reliance on foreign security solutions.