Terra Industries raises $18M Seed

The round is the third tranche of a seed that began in January with $11.75M led by 8VC, followed by $22M in February. Returning investors 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital and SV Angel took part, joined by new investor Norleo Space Investments and angel Grant Gordon. The money goes to production in Abuja, a new Ghana factory and a London office. It will also fund hiring in engineering, operations and business development. No valuation was given for this tranche. February coverage put the company at $100M.

Founded in 2024, Terra builds autonomous defense systems for governments and infrastructure operators. The line includes long- and mid-range drones, interceptor drones, sentry towers and ground vehicles, linked by its ArtemisOS software. The company says its systems already protect roughly $11B of assets, including power plants and mines. It is targeting more than $100M in contract bookings by the end of 2026. A Series A to fund high-volume manufacturing is reportedly being prepared.

For AI founders, the pattern is a hardware-plus-software company selling autonomy to buyers that import systems built for other terrain. Investors keep adding capital in short intervals, and a founder in a similar niche can expect them to reward local manufacturing and signed contracts over pitch decks.