After five years of building an edtech company, Nathan Nwachuku, 22, recognized that Africa is at a pivotal moment. The continent is rapidly industrializing, he told TechCrunch, with plenty of money, opportunities, and a young, motivated population. He believes Africa is nearing an “industrial revolution.”
However, he also noted that the continent continues to grapple with significant issues like terrorism and insecurity. “Terrorism and insecurity are among its biggest challenges,” he added. With more terror-related deaths than any other region worldwide, this issue could hinder, or even halt, the region’s growth, according to Nwachuku.
To tackle this, he partnered with friend Maxwell Maduka, 24, to establish Terra Industries, a defense company focused on creating infrastructure and autonomous systems that help governments and organizations monitor and respond to threats. The company announced on Monday that it has come out of stealth mode, securing an $11.75 million funding round led by Joe Lonsdale’s 8VC.
This latest round also includes investments from Valor Equity Partners, Lux Capital, SV Angel, and Nova Global. Prior to this, they raised an $800,000 pre-seed round, with Nwachuku mentioning that interest surged after their appearance on CNN. African investors in Terra include Tofino Capital, Kaleo Ventures, and DFS Lab.
“Our aim is to build Africa’s first defense prime, developing autonomous defense systems and other technologies to safeguard our critical infrastructure and resources from armed threats,” said Nwachuku, who is the company’s CEO. Maduka serves as the CTO.
The company boasts a team with substantial military experience: 40% of its engineers previously worked in the Nigerian military. Additionally, Alex Moore from 8VC, who focuses on defense investments, is on the board, and Nigeria’s Vice Air Marshal Ayo Jolasinmi is an advisor. Maduka also has a background as an engineer in the Nigerian Navy and launched a drone company at 19.
Located in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, Terra employs a multi-domain approach to product development, aiming to protect critical infrastructure across ground, water, and air. For aerial threats, they craft both long-range and short-range drones. Ground solutions include surveillance towers and ground drones. The company is also developing maritime technology to protect infrastructure like offshore rigs and underwater pipelines.
Terra’s technology is powered by its proprietary software, ArtemisOS, which collects, analyzes, and synthesizes data in real time. When threats are detected, it alerts response teams such as security agencies for timely action. “We want to geofence all of Africa’s critical infrastructure and resources,” Nwachuku explained. He emphasized that the continent does not lack firepower; rather, the issue lies in the dependence on intelligence primarily sourced from Western powers, China, and Russia.
“Our goal is to handle the defense of our continent’s resources and infrastructure ourselves,” Nwachuku reiterated. “We are the first truly Pan-African defense company.”
Recently, Terra secured its first federal contract, though further details are still under wraps. The company generates revenue through orders from governments and commercial clients for Terra systems, along with an annual fee for data processing and storage. So far, they have reported over $2.5 million in commercial revenue, protecting assets valued around $11 billion.
The revenue mainly comes from safeguarding private infrastructure, including gold mines and power plants. Currently, Terra is providing security for at least two hydropower plants and several smaller mines, with most clients located in Nigeria.
With the new capital, the company plans to expand and build more defense factories across Africa, enhance its software capabilities, and grow its AI team. They intend to open software offices in San Francisco and London, but will keep manufacturing operations in Africa, with plans for new factories to foster job creation.
“It’s evident that Africa is engaged in a significant struggle for its survival,” Nwachuku stated. “To truly break free from the constraints that have held us back for the past decade or two, we must ensure that our core resources and critical infrastructure are fully protected.”
