Terra Industries, a Nigerian defence-technology startup that develops drones and location-monitoring software, has secured an additional $22 million in funding, just one month after raising $11.8 million in what was Africa’s largest defence-tech round.

The latest raise, completed in less than two weeks and led again by Lux Capital, included follow-on investments from 8VC, Nova Global, and Silent Ventures.

New backers comprised Belief Capital, Tofino Capital, and Resilience17 Capital, founded by Olugbenga Agboola, alongside angel investors including Jordan Nel and actor Jared Leto.

The company said the funds will support manufacturing expansion, faster deployments across Nigeria and allied African markets, and recruitment of senior engineering and business talent in Africa, London, and San Francisco.

“Africa is industrialising faster than any other region,” said Nathan Nwachuku, Terra’s co-founder and chief executive officer.

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

Terra Industries’ one-month follow-on raise stands out as unusually rapid by African startup standards, particularly for a young company operating in an emerging sector. Most startups on the continent typically spend several months—sometimes years—between funding rounds, with many struggling to secure additional capital.

With its latest financing, Terra has become the most-funded African startup in the defence space, driven by its distinctive integration of hardware manufacturing and proprietary software solutions.

Terra Industries argues that protecting Africa’s critical infrastructure requires a fundamentally different approach—one that is vertically integrated, locally manufactured, and powered by software capable of autonomously detecting and responding to threats across large, remote areas.

In essence, the company aims to position itself as a “defence prime” for the continent, similar to the roles played in the United States by firms such as Anduril Industries and Palantir Technologies.

Founded in 2024 by Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, 24, Terra Industries develops and manufactures long- and mid-range autonomous drones, sentry towers, and unmanned ground vehicles, all connected through its proprietary ArtemisOS software platform.

The integrated system enables real-time threat detection and coordinated responses across land, air, and maritime environments.

The company says it currently protects infrastructure assets valued at roughly $11 billion and has secured contracts worth tens of millions of dollars in several African markets.