Terrahaptix Raises $34m as Nigerian Defence-Tech Startup Expands Across Africa

Terrahaptix, a Nigerian defence-technology startup founded in 2024, is scaling quickly after extending its funding round to $34 million and expanding production from its Abuja base.

The company operates from a 15,000-square-foot facility in the Federal Capital Territory, where teams assemble unmanned aerial vehicles, sentry towers and related systems used to monitor and protect infrastructure. Founded by Nathan Nwachukwu, 22, and Maxwell Maduka, 24, the firm says its focus is to build security technology in Nigeria for deployment across African markets where infrastructure growth is moving faster than traditional protection systems.

Terrahaptix said the latest extension added $22 million to an earlier $11.8 million raise. The extension was led by Lux Capital, while existing backers also joined, including 8VC, Resilience17 Capital, Nova Global, Silent Ventures, Belief Capital, Tofino Capital, Valor Equity Partners, SV Angel and Leblon Capital GmbH. Named angel investors include Jordan Nel, Jared Leto and Melya Malka.

Its earlier round had been led by 8VC, the firm founded by Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of Palantir Technologies. The startup also brought in Alex Moore, an 8VC partner focused on defence investments, as a board member in 2025.

Terrahaptix builds a connected product set that includes Archer VTOL and Iroko UAV aerial platforms, Duma unmanned ground vehicles and Kallon autonomous sentry towers. These systems are linked through ArtemisOS, which the company uses for live monitoring, coordinated control and threat analysis across air, land and fixed positions. The company also markets Artemis Cloud for surveillance data storage and analysis, and Artemis Autonomy for mission planning across several platforms at once.

In January, the startup carried out a controlled exercise combining air, ground and fixed systems. According to the company, the test reviewed mission workflow, cyber resilience and operational safety, and showed that one operator could monitor and control multiple unmanned assets through one interface.

Security demand remains a major driver. Violent extremism has expanded in parts of the Sahel and West Africa, while governments and regional institutions have increased emergency responses and cross-border coordination. Terrahaptix said infrastructure operators are facing pressure from sabotage, theft and insurgent activity, especially in remote project areas.

Nwachukwu said, "Africa is industrialising 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."

The company said its systems are already deployed to protect assets valued at about $11 billion in several African markets, including hydro-power facilities in Nigeria and gold and lithium mining operations in Ghana. It added that it had secured contracts worth over $12 million as of last year, with additional public and private engagements in the pipeline.

Manufacturing scale is central to its next phase. Executives said the Abuja plant can produce about 10,000 drones per year, and the new capital will be used to expand lines, strengthen local supply chains and speed deployment in Nigeria and allied African countries. The company also plans to grow engineering, software and business teams across Africa, London and San Francisco.

Terrahaptix is also moving through formal partnerships with public institutions. In February, it signed an MOU with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) under the DICON Act 2023. The agreement covers local production, assembly, research, development and specialist training in drones, robotics and cyber systems through a joint structure promoted by DICON and Terrahaptix.

Babatunde Ibrahim Alaya, director general of DICON and a major general in the Nigerian military, described the arrangement as a step toward reducing dependence on imported defence systems.

Beyond Africa, the startup has signed a separate agreement with Saudi contractor AIC Steel to establish a manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia for surveillance and infrastructure-security products. The proposed facility is expected to serve energy, transport and industrial assets in the Middle East while giving Terrahaptix more production reach.

Nwachukwu said, "We believe in a future where local defence technology prevails, because security is the prerequisite for all economic growth."

With fresh funding, larger output plans in Abuja and new cross-border partnerships, Terrahaptix is positioning itself as a Nigerian company trying to build long-term security manufacturing capacity for Africa and selected overseas markets.