Nigeria-based defense tech startup Terra Industries announced a $52 million seed round, reportedly the largest ever for an African startup. The round included Norleo Space Investments, angel investor Grant Gordon, and existing backers 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital, and SV Angel. Founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, Terra builds autonomous security systems including drones, sentry towers, and unmanned ground vehicles for governments and critical infrastructure operators.
Its ArtemisOS software enables real-time threat detection and coordinated incident response. The systems already protect over $11 billion in critical assets across several African countries. Terra operates two manufacturing facilities in Nigeria and Ghana—the latter expected to become Africa’s largest drone factory by year’s end. The funding will also open a London office to access defense and infrastructure markets and expand manufacturing into the Middle East, South America, and South Asia.