Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed sets out a vision for the future of cities at SXSW London 2026
News: 4 June 2026
- Speaking at the SXSW London festival, Arada Executive Vice Chairman took part in a fireside chat on city-building, frontier-technology investment, and national health transformation
HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, Executive Vice Chairman of Arada, founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, and President of the Saudi Sports for All Federation, took the stage at SXSW London 2026, which showcases business, technology and creativity in the capital, for a fireside chat titled “A Future Worth Building.”
Moderated by Joel Huffman, Partner at GoldenPoint Global, the conversation drew together the threads that covers Prince Khaled’s work; how cities are being reimagined, how artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, and how new forms of capital are accelerating innovation.
Now in its second edition, SXSW London (1–6 June) is the UK chapter of the global SXSW festival, drawing more than 1,000 companies, 450-plus startups, and delegates from over 50 countries to Shoreditch across some 15 themed tracks spanning AI, frontier technology, the creator economy, and the future of cities.
With regard to Arada, Prince Khaled spoke to 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 16,000 homes, we are committed to bringing Arada’s proven expertise in large-scale community building to the UK capital.”
He also spoke to 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.
Before 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.
