Saudi Investor Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Visits Downing Street and SXSW London to Discuss Investment, Talent, and the Future of Cities

HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, Executive Vice Chairman of UAE master developer Arada, founder and CEO of global venture capital firm KBW Ventures, and President of the Saudi Sports for All Federation, began his London visit with an appearance at SXSW London 2026, where he took part in a fireside chat titled “A Future Worth Building.”

Moderated by Joel Huffman, Partner at GoldenPoint Global, the conversation drew together the threads that cover Prince Khaled’s work on how cities are being reimagined, how artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, and how new forms of capital are accelerating innovation.

With regard to Arada, Prince Khaled spoke about the company’s trajectory and scale across geographies. 

Founded in UAE in 2017, the developer now has an existing and planned portfolio of more than 55,000 homes across the UAE, the UK, and Australia, with last year’s sales up nearly 200%. He addressed the company’s UK expansion in particular, following the acquisition of British developer Regal and a majority stake in the £2.5 billion Thameside West scheme at the Royal Docks, set to break ground in 2027 as one of the largest new neighbourhoods planned for the capital.

Turning to investment, Prince Khaled reflected on more than a decade of KBW Ventures, the global platform that has now backed over 100 companies, with more than 90 active in its portfolio across fintech, health AI, frontier technology, energy, and transportation — and on where technology genuinely improves community life, and where it does not belong.

Prince Khaled said, “London is one of the world’s great cities, with unparallelled long-term demand, world-class infrastructure and a shortage of housing, so for investors with a long-term view, that is a compelling combination. Through Thameside West and our wider London pipeline of more than 17,000 homes, we are committed to bringing Arada’s proven expertise in large-scale community building to the UK capital.”

He also spoke about his role as President of the Saudi Sports for All Federation, the national body charged with raising physical activity across the Kingdom. Over the past seven years, the share of Saudis meeting recommended activity levels has risen from 13% to close to 60% — one of the largest public-health shifts recorded anywhere in modern history, and a transformation aligned with the wellbeing goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

Together, this reflects a body of work that connects how cities are built, how technology is funded, and how populations are helped to live longer and better — at scale, and across continents.

In addition to his SXSW London engagement, Prince Khaled – accompanied by Arada London CEO Jonathan Seal – concluded a meeting at 10 Downing Street, underscoring the deepening commercial and investment ties between the United Kingdom and the Gulf.

Prince Khaled also visited Shoreditch Exchange, the largest startup and scaleup coworking hub in the UK, anchoring global talent investors like Entrepreneur First. Shoreditch Exchange is owned and operated by Arada.