Jared Leto Terra Industries investment sees Oscar winner join $22m funding round for Nigerian defence tech start-up

Academy Award winner Jared Leto has joined a group of global investors backing Terra Industries, a two year old Nigerian defence technology start up, in a powerful $22 million funding round announced in Abuja this week.

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Terra Industries, founded by Nathan Nwachukwu, 22, and Maxwell Maduka, 24, secured the fresh capital barely a month after raising $11.8 million, bringing total funding to $34 million.

The latest round signals growing international confidence in Nigeria’s deep tech sector.

The Jared Leto Terra Industries investment places the Hollywood actor alongside Silicon Valley firm Lux Capital and Olugbenga Agboola, chief executive of Flutterwave.

Speaking about the raise, co founder Nathan Nwachukwu said the company had initially targeted $5 million but exceeded expectations after attracting strong investor interest.

Terra Industries specialises in autonomous security drones, sentry towers and unmanned vehicles designed to protect critical infrastructure projects across Africa.

The company says it currently safeguards infrastructure valued at more than $100 million and assets worth approximately $11 billion.

The new capital injection will fund expanded manufacturing capacity, accelerate deployments across Nigeria and other African markets, and strengthen engineering, software and business development teams.

In a further sign of its ambitious trajectory, Terra Industries recently announced a partnership with Saudi industrial giant AIC Steel to establish a manufacturing hub in Saudi Arabia, marking its first major step towards global expansion.

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Industry analysts describe the Jared Leto Terra Industries investment as a striking endorsement of Nigeria’s emerging defence innovation ecosystem, particularly given the founders’ youth and the company’s rapid ascent.