Nigeria-based Terra has raised $11.75 million to build autonomous security systems, a stunning development for the African tech space, where venture funds have long favoured fintech.
The round was led by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale’s venture firm 8VC, with participation from Valor Equity Partners, Lux Capital, SV Angel, Leblon Capital, Silent Ventures, Nova Global. Micky Malka also contributed as an angel investor. Alex Moore, Defense Partner at 8VC and Board Director at Palantir, joined Terra Industries’ board last year.
Founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku, 22, and Maxwell Maduka, 24, in Abuja, Terra builds drones, autonomous sentry towers, unmanned ground vehicles and other security technology that it plans to market primarily in Africa.
“Africa is industrialising faster than any other region, with new mines, refineries and power plants emerging every month,” Nwachuku, who is CEO, said. “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.”
Terra technology is powered by ArtemisOS, its proprietary software platform, which it says “enables real-time threat detection, autonomous mission planning, and coordinated response across vast and difficult environments where traditional security models struggle to operate and scale.”
Today, the company’s product line-up includes:
- Archer VTOL – a long-range, multi-mission VTOL drone built for surveillance missions
- Iroko UAV – Iroko is a modular, mass-producible quadcopter drone purpose-built for first response and data collection
- Duma UGV – a flexible autonomous ground drone. It has an open architecture that enables configurations for ground surveillance.
- Kallon Sentry Tower – Powered by solar panels, Kallon is said to autonomously identify, detect, and track threats up to 3km away to bring increased security to borders, military bases, oil & gas pipelines, and other critical infrastructure.
Terra says it has already deployed some of its products to secure infrastructure assets, like hydropower plants in Nigeria and gold and lithium mining operations in Ghana.
What makes Terra distinct is how it integrates autonomy, surveillance software, and operational deployment into a single platform designed for local conditions. The bulk of its engineering team is based in Africa, and the company physically manufactures its systems on the continent, contrasting with the common model of importing foreign defence gear.
Speaking about the founders, Alex Moore, a partner at 8VC, said in a statement that they have “assembled a brilliant team to tackle a vital problem for the continent. We are excited to support their mission.”
Terra reported about $2 million in orders within its first year and recently secured a $1.2 million contract with NetHawk Solutions to protect hydropower dams, reportedly beating an Israeli competitor.
A continent with scarcity baked in it, Africa has long suffered from a lack of effective technological infrastructure. In many parts of the continent, electricity is not yet constant or even available, a huge blow to technological development. The arrival of Terra could usher in a wave of new forms of homegrown tech if only local founders would look away from fintech and crypto startups.
For now, what Terra’s founders have built, real products in use on real sites, shows that the future of security infrastructure in Africa could be shaped by local engineering as much as by external investment.
Acquah Nana Yeboah
