Terra Industries Strengthens Defence Tech Footprint with $52M Funding and New London Office

Nigerian defence-tech startup Terra Industries has successfully closed its seed round at $52 million, adding an additional $18 million to the initial investment. The company announced this milestone alongside plans to open its first international office in London.

The funding will support expansion across multiple fronts, including manufacturing capacity upgrades and growth for engineering, operations, and business development teams. Existing investors 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital, and SV Angel participated in the round, joined by new investors Norleo Space Investments and angel investor Grant Gordon.

“Critical infrastructure across the Global South is best protected by systems designed for these environments and built in the regions they protect,” said CEO Nathan Nwachuku. “This funding lets us scale that work and deepen our manufacturing base.” The London office will house Terra’s operations and AI teams, while manufacturing remains based in Abuja, Nigeria, and Accra, Ghana.

Defence Systems for a Changing World

Founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, Terra Industries designs and manufactures autonomous defence systems including drones (Archer VTOL & Iroko UAV), sentry towers, and unmanned ground vehicles (Duma). All products run on ArtemisOS, the company’s proprietary software platform for threat detection and mission coordination.

The company reports that its technology already safeguards approximately $11 billion in critical assets across Africa – including power plants and mines. With ambitions extending beyond the continent, Terra plans to expand into regions like the Gulf, South America, and South Asia as it builds sovereign defence infrastructure for the Global South.

Manufacturing Powerhouse

Terra’s manufacturing footprint includes its 15,000 sq ft Pax-1 facility in Abuja and a second plant (Pax-2) under construction in Ghana. Once operational, Pax-2 will become the continent’s largest drone factory with a projected capacity of producing 50,000 units annually by 2028.

The latest funding marks Terra’s third successful raise within the past year, demonstrating significant investor confidence in its mission to provide locally-built defence solutions for underserved markets.