Terra re-enters Africa’s defence market as it raises $11.75 million
Terra Industries, a Nigerian defence startup run by 22-year-old Nathan Nwachuku, has raised $11.75 million, with Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale’s 8VC leading the round.
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Terra Industries, formerly known as Terrahaptix, has raised $11.75 million to scale its manufacturing capabilities as a defence company. The company, which briefly exited the defence market, is now fully re-entering it.<br />
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Co-founder and CEO Nathan Nwachuku said the company has decided to fully identify as a defence startup as the need for security in Africa becomes more pressing.<br />
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“We need to protect Africa’s critical infrastructure from terrorist attacks. We have been a bit wary of calling ourselves a defence company, but now we’re doing it fully.”<br />
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Terra’s $11.75 million funding round is led by 8VC, founded by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale. The round, which includes only US-based investors, saw participation from Valor Equity Partners, Lux Capital, SV Angel, Leblon Capital, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, and angel investors, including Alex Moore, who sits on the board of Palantir, and California-based investor Meyer Malka.<br />
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Nwachuku told Techpoint Africa that the company was deliberate about raising capital from investors who fully understand the defence market.<br />
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Terra Industries’ factory<br />
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“The rules for a defence company are very different from the rules for a fintech, for example. We need to structure the company properly in order to protect trillions of dollars’ worth of critical infrastructure.”<br />
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The young startup has also been strategic about selecting its board members, bringing on Eliot Pence, a former executive at Anduril, a $14 billion defence company in the US. It has also recently added Alex Moore from Palantir to its board.<br />
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These strategic moves have begun to pay off. Just a year after launch, the company recorded $2 million in total orders. In 2025, it also beat an Israeli firm to secure a $1.2 million contract to protect hydropower dams.<br />
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With the new funding, the company plans to expand its manufacturing capabilities. It will build more factories and hire additional engineering talent to boost production. <br />
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