Palantir Technologies Inc. co-founder Joe Lonsdale has led an $11.8 million seed investment in Terra Industries, a Nigerian defense technology startup expanding drone manufacturing as security risks rise across Africa. Abuja-based Terra, also known as Terrahaptix Inc., said the round was led by 8VC, a venture firm founded by Lonsdale, with participation from Lux Capital, Valor Equity Partners, Silent Ventures, SV Angel, Leblon Capital, Nova Global, and angel investors including Ribbit Capital managing partner Meyer Malka. The company added that Alex Moore, a defense-focused investor at 8VC and a non-executive director at Palantir, joined Terra’s board last year.
Founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku, 22, and Maxwell Maduka, 24, Terra designs and manufactures autonomous drones, sentry towers, and unmanned ground vehicles in Nigeria, with systems deployed to secure infrastructure assets valued at about $11 billion, including hydropower plants in Nigeria and mining operations in Ghana. The company said it will deploy the new capital to expand manufacturing capacity and support cross-border security and counterterrorism operations as militant groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda expand activity across West Africa, adding that it already operates a 15,000-square-foot facility in Abuja and has signed more than $50 million in commercial and government contracts.