Gen Z-led Terra Industries Raises $11.75M to Scale African Defense

News World

Published by Stephen Oluwadara at January 12, 2026

Terra Industries is Solving Africa’s Insecurity and Terrorism Problem

Terra Industries, formerly known as Terrahaptix, was founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku, 22, and Maxwell Maduka, 24. The Nigerian-based startup produces long- and mid-range drones, autonomous sentry towers, and unmanned ground vehicles.

The equipment helps secure infrastructure assets valued at about $11 billion across Africa, including hydropower plants in Nigeria and gold- and lithium-mining operations in Ghana.

“Africa is industrialising 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. Our mission is to give Africa the technological edge to protect its industrial future and defeat terrorism.” Nwachuku said.

The team boasts significant military experience: 40% of its engineers previously held the same role in the Nigerian military. 8VC’s Alex Moore, a defense investing specialist, is on the board, and Nigeria’s Vice Air Marshal Ayo Jolasinmi serves as an advisor.

Maduka, who served as an engineer in the Nigerian Navy and founded a drone company at 19, is the CTO. Based in Abuja, Nigeria, the company has taken a multi-domain approach to product development, focusing on protecting critical infrastructure across the ground, water, and air domains.

For aerial protection, it produces long-range and short-range drones; on the ground, it offers surveillance towers and ground drones. The company is still developing maritime technology to safeguard offshore rigs, underwater pipelines, and other critical infrastructure.

Terra powers its tech with proprietary software, ArtemisOS, which collects, analyzes, and synthesizes data in real time. Once threats are detected, it alerts response forces, such as security agencies, to enable swift interception. “We aim to geofence Africa’s critical infrastructure and resources,” Nwachuku said, noting that firepower isn’t the issue, as many African armies already possess it.

How the New Funds will be Deployed

The company previously raised an $800,000 pre-seed round, with Nwachuku noting that its appearance on CNN sparked significant investor interest. Notably, African investors backing the company include Tofino Capital, Kaleo Ventures, and DFS Lab.

Some people have questioned the company’s ability to do this, especially given that it has foreign investors backing it. The CEO noted that the company still has African investors from its first $640,000 raise.

Maduka, the company’s co-founder and CTO, also reinforced the company’s commitment to the continent by saying, “This is African technology, built by African engineers, for African infrastructure. We are creating skilled jobs, building advanced manufacturing capacity, and ensuring the intellectual property behind Africa’s security stays on the continent.”

While Terra has generated revenue from commercial clients, particularly in the mining and oil sectors, it plans to focus more on government projects going forward. The company currently secures infrastructure assets worth around $11 billion across Africa.

With this fresh funding, Terra is now on par with rivals like Sora, which recently raised $7.3 million to deploy AI-powered drones across various industries. However, Terra’s Silicon Valley backing may give it a competitive edge. The Archer Drone is one of Terra’s flagship products, although its portfolio extends beyond drones.

Drone companies operating in Africa, including Sora and Zipline, have attracted significant investment. Terra’s success as a uniquely African company is crucial to securing infrastructure and promoting the continent’s presence in the deep tech space.

Main Image: Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, Terra Industries Co-founders. Image Source: Terra Industries