African entrepreneur of the Month: Meet the defence-tech founders Western billionaires are betting their dollars on

Founded by Nathan Nwachuku, 22, and Maxwell Maduka, 24, the Nigerian defence-technology startup raised $34 million within the first two months of the year, positioning it among the continent’s most capitalised young industrial ventures as it scales locally manufactured drones and autonomous security systems.

The investor roster signals confidence. The ambition signals something larger.

Across much of the continent, pipelines, power plants, mining operations and strategic corridors remain dependent on imported surveillance systems and foreign security intelligence frameworks.

That reliance carries higher procurement costs, supply-chain vulnerability and limited sovereignty over sensitive operational data.

Terra was built on a clear thesis: that core elements of this capability can be engineered, assembled and maintained locally.

Within twelve months of incorporation, the company has grown from an experimental hardware initiative into one of Africa’s most capitalised defence-technology ventures, earning its founders recognition as Business Insider Africa’s Entrepreneurs of the Month.

Terra is not Nwachuku’s first venture.

A graduate of Graceland International School in Port Harcourt, he received a scholarship in 2020 to study software engineering at Carleton University in Canada.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted those plans. Rather than defer his ambitions, he pivoted toward entrepreneurship.

In 2022, he launched Klas, an education-technology platform enabling independent academies to host live classes, distribute digital books and offer online courses within a unified system.

Within months, Klas secured $300,000 in angel funding from Techstars Toronto, Voltron Capital and prominent African technology operators.

The experience established an early pattern: disciplined thesis formation, accelerated execution and rapid capital mobilisation.

That capability would later underpin Terra’s funding trajectory.

Alongside Nwachuku is Maxwell Maduka, Terra’s co-founder and engineering lead.

Maduka, from Eastern Nigeria, built early technical experience as a drone engineer with the Nigerian Navy, gaining exposure to defence-grade unmanned systems.

Prior to Terra, he founded Spatial Nova, a micro-drone manufacturer later acquired by Nord Motors in 2022.

An alumnus of Yaba College of Technology in Lagos, Maduka now oversees Terra’s hardware architecture, avionics systems and robotics integration.

An alumnus of Yaba College of Technology in Lagos, he now oversees hardware architecture, avionics systems and robotics integration.

Under the founders’ combined leadership, the business transitioned into a multi-domain systems manufacturer integrating aerial drones, unmanned ground vehicles and sentry infrastructure through its proprietary ArtemisOS software platform.

In January, Terra secured $11.75 million in a funding round led by 8VC.

Weeks later, it raised an additional $22 million extension led by Lux Capital, bringing total funding to $34 million, the largest disclosed capital raise for a defence-technology startup in Africa.

The extension round closed in under two weeks, driven by what Nwachuku described as “strong momentum” and “faster than expected traction.”

Part of the investment case is commercial. Infrastructure security is a growing market, particularly in a continent estimated to hold roughly 30% of global critical mineral reserves while seeing sustained infrastructure investment across energy, mining and logistics.

However, for some investors, the motivation extends beyond profit.

Lux Capital co-founder Josh Wolfe, who has previously written about security threats in Nigeria and the Sahel region, framed the investment in geopolitical terms.

In a post on X, Wolfe wrote: “I have been posting about Nigeria and the threats of Islamist terror for 6+ years. Lux is now funding sovereign defense in Nigeria which will expand across the Sahel and protect Africa from evil sowers of chaos.”

The remark underscores how Terra’s funding sits at the intersection of venture capital, regional security and industrial sovereignty.

The newly raised capital will be deployed to significantly expand the company’s manufacturing capacity.

In the first phase, the firm plans to increase output at its Abuja facility to as many as 40,000 drones annually. At the same time, construction of a larger factory at an undisclosed location will begin within weeks, Chief Executive Officer Nathan Nwachuku said.

Currently, from its 15,000-square-foot robotics plant in Abuja, the company produces thousands of systems each year.

However, the planned expansion marks a decisive shift from early-stage production to full industrial-scale output.

Alongside its manufacturing expansion, the company has moved to deepen institutional partnerships.

It recently formalised a collaboration with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), the Nigerian Armed Forces-run defence manufacturer.

Under the agreement, the parties will establish a joint venture within DICON to localise production of advanced security systems.

These include drones, robotics platforms, cybersecurity infrastructure and mission software.

Within this framework, the startup will contribute technical expertise, production support and supply-chain access while operating under a government-owned structure.

The arrangement strengthens its position within Nigeria’s formal defence ecosystem.

Meanwhile, the company is extending its footprint beyond the continent.

According to Bloomberg, it will jointly build a factory with AIC Steel in Saudi Arabia. This move marks its first manufacturing expansion outside Africa and positions the firm within broader Middle Eastern defence supply chains.

Taken together, these dual moves reflect a strategic evolution. In 2024, while operating under the TerraHaptix brand, management prioritised commercial markets over direct military development.

Now, with $34 million raised this year, the company is engaging state institutions from a position of capital strength.

Defence manufacturing, however, remains politically sensitive. It is shaped by regulatory oversight, export controls and shifting geopolitical alliances.

The company’s expansion aligns with a broader policy argument often described as “Pax Africana” — the idea that African states should build and control their own security infrastructure.

Historically, many governments across the continent have relied on imported systems from global manufacturers such as Israel Aerospace Industries, Elbit Systems, General Atomics and commercial drone giant Shenzhen DJI Innovations.

While technologically advanced, such systems often come at higher cost, involve complex supply chains, or raise concerns about data sovereignty and long-term strategic control.

As a result, policymakers increasingly face a central question: can more of this capability be engineered, assembled and sustained domestically?

For Nwachuku, the core thesis remains unchanged.

“Africa is industrializing faster than any other region, with new mines, refineries, and power plants emerging every month. But none of that progress will matter if we don’t solve the continent’s greatest Achilles’ heel, which is insecurity and terrorism.”

For Business Insider Africa’s Entrepreneur of the Month, the company’s rise represents more than rapid fundraising.

It reflects a broader ambition among young African founders to compete in a sector long dominated by Chinese, Israeli and Western suppliers; and to reposition Africa not merely as a buyer of security technology, but as a manufacturer of it.