Terra Industries, a defense technology startup founded by 22-year-old Nathan Nwachuku and 24-year-old Maxwell Maduka, has secured $11.75 million to address Africa’s rising security challenges with locally developed defense solutions.

The company revealed the milestone on Monday in a statement, marking its emergence from stealth mode as it begins scaling autonomous security systems aimed at protecting critical infrastructure across the continent.

The funding round was led by U.S. venture capital firm 8VC, founded by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, and included participation from Valor Equity Partners, Lux Capital, SV Angel, Leblon Capital, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, and angel investor Micky Malka.

Founded in 2024 by 22-year-old Nathan Nwachuku and 24-year-old Maxwell Maduka, Terra Industries develops and manufactures autonomous defense systems that help governments and infrastructure operators monitor, secure, and respond to threats across land, air, and maritime domains.

The company notes that Africa is entering a pivotal phase of industrialization, with nearly $100 billion invested in infrastructure annually and the continent holding roughly 30 per cent of the world’s critical mineral reserves.

However, much of this infrastructure is situated in remote and unstable regions, where insecurity, terrorism, organized crime, and illegal resource extraction continue to pose significant threats—particularly across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Sahel.

“Africa is industrializing faster than any other region, with new mines, refineries, and power plants emerging every month,” said Nathan Nwachuku, co-founder and CEO of Terra Industries.

“But none of that progress will matter if we don’t solve the continent’s greatest Achilles heel, which is insecurity and terrorism,” he added.

Terra Industries is developing Africa’s first defense technology prime—a vertically integrated platform of autonomous systems designed specifically for the continent’s terrain and operational realities.

The company says the new funding will be used to expand manufacturing capacity, grow its engineering and software teams, and deploy additional autonomous systems across allied African nations.

Terra’s product lineup includes long- and mid-range drones, autonomous sentry towers, unmanned ground vehicles, and maritime surveillance systems, all powered by ArtemisOS, its proprietary software platform.

The startup revealed that it has already secured infrastructure assets worth roughly $11 billion across Africa, with tens of millions of dollars in signed contracts and a robust pipeline spanning both public and private sector clients.

Current deployments include the Geometric Power Plant in Aba, two hydropower plants in northern Nigeria, and gold and lithium mining operations in Nigeria and Ghana.

While Terra’s existing contracts primarily focus on infrastructure protection, the company says it is now expanding into multinational border security and counterterrorism as regional instability escalates.