African Defence-Tech Startup Terra Industries Raises $52 Million, Opens London Office

African defence-technology company Terra Industries has raised $52 million in seed funding and is expanding its global footprint with the opening of its first office outside the continent in London.

The Nigerian-founded company, established in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, added a further $18 million to close its seed round, which was raised across three tranches over eight months.

Despite the international expansion, Terra Industries says its manufacturing operations will remain in Ghana and Nigeria, reflecting its focus on building defence technology on the continent.

The company develops autonomous security and defence systems, including drones, interceptor drones, sentry towers and unmanned ground vehicles, operated through its proprietary ArtemisOS software platform.

Terra says its technology is designed for African operating conditions, including high temperatures, dust and unreliable communications infrastructure.

It also emphasises data sovereignty, with systems designed to keep customer data within the continent rather than relying on foreign suppliers.

The company says it is on track to secure more than $100 million in contract bookings this year, with most of its existing business coming from industrial site security.

Its manufacturing ambitions are also expanding. Terra plans to open a 34,000-square-foot facility in Ghana in the fourth quarter, with a target of eventually producing up to 50,000 units annually by 2028. The facility will be more than twice the size of its existing Abuja operation.

The London office is expected to give Terra closer access to European defence institutions and international decision-makers as the company seeks to expand beyond Africa.

“The money lets us scale that work and deepen our manufacturing base,” CEO Nathan Nwachuku said, adding that the London presence would also put the company “in the rooms where global defence decisions are made.”

Terra's expansion comes as investment in defence technology, artificial intelligence, drones and autonomous systems accelerates globally.