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37
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil.md
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@ -9,35 +9,44 @@ relations:
- type: owned
with: "[[Credit and Commerce American Holdings]]"
role: "nominee shareholder for BCCI"
fn: 6
fn: 9
- type: director_of
with: "[[Capcom]]"
fn: 5
fn: 8
- type: employed_by
with: "[[Saudi Arabian intelligence]]"
with: "[[General Intelligence Presidency]]"
role: "liaison to the United States"
fn: 5
fn: 8
- type: head_of
with: "[[General Intelligence Presidency]]"
role: "described in the Senate BCCI report as one of two successive heads of Saudi intelligence with Kamal Adham"
fn: 2
---
A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil is a high-level officer in [[Saudi Arabian intelligence]] and a key [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] front man.[^1] He was a prominent figure in [[Agha Hasan Abedi]]'s network of wealthy Middle Eastern individuals who were shareholders in BCCI and its associated entities.
A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil is a high-level officer in the [[General Intelligence Presidency]] and a key [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] front man.[^1] He was a prominent figure in [[Agha Hasan Abedi]]'s network of wealthy Middle Eastern individuals who were shareholders in BCCI and its associated entities.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee report on BCCI wrote that [[Kamal Adham]] and A.R. Khalil were "two successive heads of Saudi intelligence" and nominees for the bank, and described Adham and Khalil as "the past and then-current Saudi intelligence liaisons to the United States" when [[Financial General Bankshares]] was acquired.[^2][^3] Arab News wrote in 2001 that [[Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]] was the third director of the agency since its establishment in the mid-1960s, after Adham and [[Turki al-Faisal]].[^4]
### Role in BCCI Operations
Khalil was one of the nominees used by Abedi to secretly purchase shares in [[Credit and Commerce American Holdings|CCAH]], the holding company that owned [[First American Bank]].[^2] He was also a recipient of large, fictitious loans from BCCI, such as $168 million, which were used to create the illusion of capital within the bank.[^3]
Khalil was one of the nominees used by Abedi to secretly purchase shares in [[Credit and Commerce American Holdings|CCAH]], the holding company that owned [[First American Bank]].[^5] He was also a recipient of large, fictitious loans from BCCI, such as $168 million, which were used to create the illusion of capital within the bank.[^6]
His involvement in BCCI's operations highlights the bank's strategy of using influential figures to conceal its true ownership and illicit financial activities. Khalil, along with [[Kamal Adham]] and [[Ghaith R. Pharaon]], held significant shares in BCCI and its subsidiaries, often acquired through these fraudulent loans.[^4]
His involvement in BCCI's operations highlights the bank's strategy of using influential figures to conceal its true ownership and illicit financial activities. Khalil, along with Kamal Adham and [[Ghaith R. Pharaon]], held significant shares in BCCI and its subsidiaries, often acquired through these fraudulent loans.[^7]
### The Federal Reserve and the CIA
The [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report|Kerry-Brown Senate Report]] described Khalil as, like Kamal Adham, "a BCCI shareholder and front man from its creation, and a key nominee in BCCI's secret takeover of First American." He appeared before the [[Federal Reserve Board|Federal Reserve]] on April 23, 1981, and presented himself as a private businessman: "My career has been devoted to business and I presently hold interests in real estate, mechanical and electrical maintenance projects, and commodities. In addition, I have been involved in some business ventures with American and British manufacturers for the installation of electronic and computer equipment in Saudi Arabia." The report found that he did not tell the Federal Reserve that he was then a key figure in Saudi intelligence and its liaison to the [[United States]], or disclose that one of his businesses was the Saudi Security and Technical Services Company, which supplied electronic and computer equipment to the Saudi government and its intelligence operations.[^5] The [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] told the Federal Reserve it had no derogatory information on the shareholders, among them Adham and Khalil, "the past and then-current Saudi intelligence liaisons to the United States."[^5] The Federal Reserve found in 1991 that Khalil, Adham, [[Faisal Saud al-Fulaij]] and the other Middle Eastern nominees "had secretly done precisely what the Federal Reserve had sought to assure they would not do."[^6]
The [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report|Kerry-Brown Senate Report]] described Khalil as, like Kamal Adham, "a BCCI shareholder and front man from its creation, and a key nominee in BCCI's secret takeover of First American." He appeared before the [[Federal Reserve Board|Federal Reserve]] on April 23, 1981, and presented himself as a private businessman: "My career has been devoted to business and I presently hold interests in real estate, mechanical and electrical maintenance projects, and commodities. In addition, I have been involved in some business ventures with American and British manufacturers for the installation of electronic and computer equipment in Saudi Arabia." The report found that he did not tell the Federal Reserve that he was then a key figure in Saudi intelligence and its liaison to the [[United States]], or disclose that one of his businesses was the Saudi Security and Technical Services Company, which supplied electronic and computer equipment to the Saudi government and its intelligence operations.[^8] The [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] told the Federal Reserve it had no derogatory information on the shareholders, among them Adham and Khalil, "the past and then-current Saudi intelligence liaisons to the United States."[^8] The Federal Reserve found in 1991 that Khalil, Adham, [[Faisal Saud al-Fulaij]] and the other Middle Eastern nominees "had secretly done precisely what the Federal Reserve had sought to assure they would not do."[^9]
According to [[Price Waterhouse]] audit reports, Khalil had no written contact with BCCI from 1985; by the late 1980s senior BCCI officials knew of no way to reach him, and the chief financial officer, [[Masihur Rahman]], doubted he existed. BCCI nevertheless used his name extensively as a nominee in [[Latin America]], the Caribbean and Europe, and he was a principal shareholder and director of BCCI's commodities affiliate, [[Capcom]]. When American regulators asked the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] in 1991 to locate him for service of legal papers, they were told he could not be found; after some months they determined that he was frequently to be found in the offices of the CIA station chief in [[Saudi Arabia]], and on their suggesting this, service was quickly arranged.[^5]
According to [[Price Waterhouse]] audit reports, Khalil had no written contact with BCCI from 1985; by the late 1980s senior BCCI officials knew of no way to reach him, and the chief financial officer, [[Masihur Rahman]], doubted he existed. BCCI nevertheless used his name extensively as a nominee in [[Latin America]], the Caribbean and Europe, and he was a principal shareholder and director of BCCI's commodities affiliate, [[Capcom]]. When American regulators asked the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] in 1991 to locate him for service of legal papers, they were told he could not be found; after some months they determined that he was frequently to be found in the offices of the CIA station chief in [[Saudi Arabia]], and on their suggesting this, service was quickly arranged.[^8]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 10.
[^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 193.
[^3]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 142.
[^4]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 140.
[^5]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 11, "BCCI, the CIA and Foreign Intelligence." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/11intel.htm
[^6]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 6, "BCCI in the United States: Initial Entry." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/06early.htm
[^2]: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, The BCCI Affair (1992), "Abu Dhabi: BCCI's Founding and Majority Shareholders." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm
[^3]: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, The BCCI Affair (1992), "BCCI, the CIA and Foreign Intelligence." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/11intel.htm
[^4]: "Prince Nawaf new intelligence chief," Arab News, September 1, 2001. https://www.arabnews.com/node/214954
[^5]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 193.
[^6]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 142.
[^7]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 140.
[^8]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 11, "BCCI, the CIA and Foreign Intelligence." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/11intel.htm
[^9]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 6, "BCCI in the United States: Initial Entry." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/06early.htm

4
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Alexandre de Marenches.md
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@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ aliases:
- Alexandre de Marenches
- Count de Marenches
created: 2026-05-17
updated: 2026-05-17
updated: 2026-10-13
category: "Intelligence & Government"
tags:
- Person
@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ At the time of his appointment, SDECE had been weakened by scandals including th
### The Safari Club
In 1976, following the [[Church Committee]] hearings and the resulting legislative constraints on [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] operations, de Marenches organized an informal intelligence-sharing and operations network that became known as the Safari Club. The arrangement brought together five services: SDECE (France), Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Directorate under Kamal Adham, Egypt's Mukhabarat, Morocco's DST under Ahmed Dlimi, and the CIA under Director [[George H.W. Bush]]. The Safari Club's purpose was to continue covert anti-Soviet operations in Africa and the [[Middle East]] that CIA was temporarily unable to conduct openly under congressional scrutiny.[^2]
In 1976, following the [[Church Committee]] hearings and the resulting legislative constraints on CIA operations, de Marenches organized an informal intelligence-sharing and operations network that became known as the Safari Club. The arrangement brought together five services: SDECE (France), Saudi Arabia's [[General Intelligence Presidency|General Intelligence Directorate]] under [[Kamal Adham]], Egypt's Mukhabarat, Morocco's DST under Ahmed Dlimi, and the CIA under Director [[George H.W. Bush]]. The Safari Club's purpose was to continue covert anti-Soviet operations in Africa and the [[Middle East]] that CIA was temporarily unable to conduct openly under congressional scrutiny.[^2]
The most documented Safari Club operation was in Angola, where the Club provided $5 million in financing and logistical support to Jonas Savimbi's UNITA movement against the Soviet- and Cuban-backed MPLA government. De Marenches later described Angola as "a theater for revolutionary wars prompted and conducted by the Soviet Union." The Club also coordinated operations in Somalia and the Horn of Africa during the Ogaden War period (1977-1978). The arrangement effectively transferred operational initiative to allied services who were not subject to the same congressional oversight as CIA, with CIA providing intelligence and coordination.[^2]

18
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Ben Horowitz.md
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@ -138,8 +138,13 @@ relations:
with: "[[Felicia Horowitz]]"
role: "husband"
fn: 11
- type: funded
with: "[[Echelon (company)]]"
start: 2026-10
role: "named early backer of an undisclosed round, per Dealroom and Wamda, October 2026; no amount disclosed"
fn: 28
created: 2026-10-01
updated: 2026-10-01
updated: 2026-10-13
---
Ben Horowitz (Benjamin A. Horowitz) is a cofounder and general partner of the venture capital firm [[Andreessen Horowitz]] (a16z), which he and [[Marc Andreessen]] started in 2009.[^1] He worked in product marketing at [[Lotus Development Corporation]] before joining [[Netscape]] in July 1995, where he ran product divisions including the Directory and Security line; was vice president and general manager of the E-Commerce Platform division of [[America Online]] in 1999; and from September 1999 was cofounder, president and chief executive of Loudcloud, which became [[Opsware]] and was acquired by [[Hewlett-Packard]] in 2007. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from [[Columbia University]] and a master's from the [[University of California, Los Angeles]].[^2][^3] His a16z biography lists board seats at [[Anyscale]], [[Databricks]], [[Mayvenn]], [[NationBuilder]], [[Navan]] and [[UnitedMasters]], and credits him with creating the a16z Cultural Leadership Fund.[^2]
@ -202,6 +207,14 @@ Outside firms registered for the firm are [[Mehlman Consulting]] (registered May
Horowitz is the son of the writer and activist [[David Horowitz]], founder of the [[David Horowitz Freedom Center]], who died on April 29, 2025 at the age of 86. Misty Severi of Just the News and Heather Hunter of the [[Washington Examiner]] reported that David Horowitz was survived by his sons Ben and Jonathan and a daughter, that Ben Horowitz posted "Rest in Peace to my father," and that the family's obituary recounted that when Ben told Trump about his father the previous year, "President Trump's face immediately lit up and he insisted that Benjamin get David on the phone immediately."[^25][^26] Horowitz lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Felicia Horowitz, a trustee of the family foundation.[^11][^13]
### Saudi Arabia and the Gulf
In October 2022 Horowitz spoke at "Davos in the Desert," an investment conference in Saudi Arabia. TechCrunch, reporting in April 2023, wrote that such an appearance is "often a clue that someone is fundraising."[^27]
In 2023 Horowitz and Marc Andreessen appeared onstage with [[Adam Neumann]] at a conference organized by a nonprofit backed by one of Saudi Arabia's largest sovereign funds. The panel discussed the firm's 350 million dollar investment in Flow, Neumann's residential real estate company, which Bloomberg reported might launch in the Kingdom. TechCrunch quoted Horowitz as praising Saudi Arabia as a "startup country" and saying: "Saudi has a founder; you don't call him a founder, you call him his royal highness." Neumann said separately, "It's leaders like his royal highness that are actually going to lead us where we want to go." TechCrunch wrote that it had contacted Andreessen Horowitz and had not received a reply.[^27]
In October 2026 the Riyadh-based company [[Echelon (company)]] announced an undisclosed funding round. Dealroom named its early backers as [[East40 Holding|East40]], [[RAED Ventures]], [[Avra]] and "Ben Horowitz," and described the founder, [[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]], as a venture partner at RAED Ventures and an adviser to Andreessen Horowitz.[^28] [[Wamda]], reporting on October 7, 2026, wrote that Echelon raised an undisclosed round "from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra, alongside Ben Horowitz and other investors."[^29]
### Footnotes
[^1]: Andreessen Horowitz. "Who We Are." a16z.com/about, accessed October 1, 2026. https://a16z.com/about/
@ -230,3 +243,6 @@ Horowitz is the son of the writer and activist [[David Horowitz]], founder of th
[^24]: Lobbying Disclosure Act filings for client Scale AI: The VM Group registration posted August 28, 2026, https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/4087f730-33fc-451b-952d-6e39e960ccd9/print/ ; Mehlman Consulting registration posted August 19, 2025, https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/abdd7fa4-d0dd-46f6-a946-a16482f72509/print/ ; Cornerstone Government Affairs registration posted October 11, 2023, https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/4bed6edb-c81c-41ff-aecb-e50754221888/print/
[^25]: Severi, Misty. "Conservative author and activist David Horowitz dies at 86." Just the News, April 29, 2025. https://justthenews.com/nation/culture/conservative-author-david-horowitz-dies-86
[^26]: Hunter, Heather. "Conservatives pay tribute following death of David Horowitz." Washington Examiner, April 30, 2025. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/3397321/conservatives-pay-tribute-death-david-horowitz/
[^27]: Loizos, Connie, "Andreessen Horowitz is now openly courting capital from Saudi Arabia, despite U.S. strains," *TechCrunch*, April 1, 2023. The article reports that "back in October, Horowitz spoke at an investment conference dubbed 'Davos in the Desert,' which is often a clue that someone is fundraising," and, on the Flow investment, the "startup country" and "royal highness" remarks, and that "We reached out to Andreessen Horowitz with related questions this morning and have yet to hear back." https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/01/andreessen-horowitz-is-now-openly-courting-capital-from-saudi-arabia-despite-u-s-strains/
[^28]: Dealroom, news item on the launch of Echelon, October 8, 2026 (published 15:30 UTC): "Its early backers include East40, RAED Ventures, Avra and Ben Horowitz." https://dealroom.co/news/160932-saudi-ai-company-echelon-launches-with-backing-from-ben-horowitz-avra-an/
[^29]: "Saudi AI startup Echelon secures backing from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra," *Wamda*, October 7, 2026: "Saudi AI startup Echelon has raised an undisclosed investment round from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra, alongside Ben Horowitz and other investors." https://www.wamda.com/ar/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra

173
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Khalid bin Bader Al Saud.md Normal file
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@ -0,0 +1,173 @@
---
aliases:
- Khalid bin Bader Al Saud
- Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD
- Khalid Bin Badr Bin Saud M. Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD
- Khalid bin Badr Al Saud
- Khaled bin Badr Al Saud
- Prince Khalid bin Bader
- خالد بن بدر آل سعود
category: "Business & Finance"
tags:
- Person
- SaudiRoyals
- Echelon
- EastForty
- RaedVentures
- ArtificialIntelligence
- VentureCapital
- CompaniesHouse
- KekoCompanies
summary: "Saudi prince, director of three dissolved UK Keko companies, founder and managing director of the Riyadh AI company Echelon, founder of the family firm East40 and venture partner at RAED Ventures."
born: 1994-09
location: "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"
created: 2026-10-13
updated: 2026-10-13
relations:
- type: founded
with: "[[Echelon (company)]]"
role: "founder and managing director"
start: 2025
fn: 3
- type: director_of
with: "[[Echelon (company)]]"
role: "executive chairman of Echelon Digital in the Rubrik release; chairman of Echelon Digital in the Elutions release"
start: 2025-11
fn: 9
- type: founded
with: "[[East40 Holding]]"
role: "founder, with family members"
fn: 4
- type: partner_of
with: "[[RAED Ventures]]"
role: "venture partner, listed on the firm's team page"
start: 2025-02-06
fn: 5
- type: relative_of
with: "[[Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]]"
role: "father"
start: 1994-09
fn: 1
- type: relative_of
with: "[[Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]]"
role: "uncle"
fn: 27
- type: director_of
with: "[[Keko Group Ltd]]"
role: "director of record; company dissolved November 4, 2025"
start: 2022-06-17
end: 2025-11-04
fn: 1
- type: owned
with: "[[Keko Group Ltd]]"
role: "75 percent or more of shares (person with significant control)"
start: 2022-06-17
end: 2025-11-04
fn: 13
- type: director_of
with: "[[Keko Hospitality Ltd]]"
role: "director of record; company dissolved June 17, 2025"
start: 2021-11-08
end: 2025-06-17
fn: 6
- type: owned
with: "[[Keko Hospitality Ltd]]"
role: "75 percent or more of shares and voting rights and the right to appoint or remove directors, recorded from January 12, 2024; previously held through Keko Group Ltd"
start: 2024-01-12
end: 2025-06-17
fn: 15
- type: director_of
with: "[[Keko LC Ltd]]"
role: "director of record under the spelling Badr; company dissolved October 1, 2024"
start: 2023-07-05
end: 2024-10-01
fn: 7
---
Khalid bin Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is a Saudi prince, born in September 1994, the son of [[Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]],[^1] and the founder and managing director of [[Echelon (company)]], a [[Riyadh]]-based artificial intelligence company, the founder of the family investment firm [[East40 Holding|East40]] and a venture partner at [[RAED Ventures]].[^2][^3][^4][^5]
### Names in the register
[[Companies House]], the UK register, records him as Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD, born September 1994, with Saudi Arabian nationality.[^1] A second officer record carries the same name and birth month and year, and a third, under the spelling Badr with a middle initial, shows the same birth month and year.[^6][^7] Arabic-language press uses the spelling بدر (Badr) for the same name.[^8] A 2025 release names him Prince Khaled bin Badr Al Saud.[^9]
### The Keko companies
Keko Hospitality Ltd was incorporated on November 8, 2021, and its registered activity is licensed restaurants.[^10] The register records his appointment as a director of KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD on the day of incorporation, with [[Saudi Arabia]] given as his place of residence at that entry.[^6] The company was struck off by compulsory strike-off, with the final Gazette notice on June 17, 2025.[^10][^11]
Keko Group Ltd was incorporated on June 17, 2022, as a holding company.[^12] Khalid was appointed a director the same day, with [[England]] given as his place of residence.[^1] The register lists him as the sole person with significant control, holding 75 percent or more of the shares, notified June 17, 2022.[^13] The company applied for voluntary strike-off on August 6, 2025 and was dissolved on November 4, 2025.[^12][^14]
Keko Group Ltd was recorded as a person with significant control of KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD from July 13, 2022, holding 75 percent or more of the shares and voting rights. On January 12, 2024 the register recorded Keko Group Ltd as ceasing in that role and recorded Khalid in it, with 75 percent or more of the shares and voting rights and the right to appoint or remove directors.[^15] Resolutions adopting new articles of association and authorising a share transfer are dated January 26 to 31, 2024.[^11]
A third company, KEKO LC LTD, lists him as a director from July 5, 2023, under the Badr spelling.[^7] Keko Group Ltd became its person with significant control on March 1, 2024, when Arrow UK Ventures Ltd ceased in that role, and a co-director, Neha Beriwala, resigned the same day. The company applied for voluntary strike-off on July 3, 2024 and was dissolved on October 1, 2024.[^16]
### Echelon
An Arabic-language release on [[Zawya]] dated October 1, 2026 gives him the title "مؤسس Echelon ومديرها التنفيذي" (founder and managing director of Echelon) and quotes the "الأمير خالد بن بدر آل سعود." It is the Arabic version of an English release distributed on September 30, 2026 by [[IFS]], which titles him Founder and Managing Director and quotes him: "Ever since we founded Echelon, our aim was to bring the most exciting AI solutions to Saudi Arabia."[^2][^8][^17] [[Wamda]], a regional startup outlet, dates the founding to 2025.[^18]
On the company website he is the only person named, as Founder and Managing Director, beside the line "Saudi Arabia should be among the nations that define AI, not the nations that consume it."[^3] A founder's letter dated Riyadh, October 2026 and published on the site and on LinkedIn has him write that he spent "most of my life between Riyadh, London and the US" and came home "a few years ago," and that "alongside a few members of my family, I founded East40 to make long-term, high-conviction bets on the sectors that will shape our country's future. AI was one of them, and we wanted to found and operate an AI business from the ground up." The letter credits the Crown Prince's leadership and names H.E. [[Abdullah Alswaha]] and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology as having "made adoption a national priority." It describes the company as "founded here in Riyadh and backed early by East40, Raed Ventures and Avra, alongside Ben Horowitz and others."[^4]
The letter says the Technologies unit brings AI companies "into the enterprises and government customers that need them" and is "focused on Energy, Industrials, Government, Telco, Defence, Aviation, Financial Services & Insurance and Healthcare." It lists Echelon Defense Industries, launching in the first quarter of 2027, as built "for the scale of the defense opportunity ahead," with the purpose "to help the Kingdom build sovereign defence capability."[^4] The partner section of the site describes the [[Applied Intuition]] partnership as covering "physical AI in the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining, and agriculture industries," the IFS partnership as "across defense, energy, industrial and telecommunications," and Rubrik as "data security and resilience for enterprise and government."[^3] [[Scott Stedman]] wrote on X on October 13, 2026 that Khalid founded Echelon, an AI company serving Saudi government and defense customers.[^19]
### Echelon Digital
Releases from November and December 2025 name him in an earlier form of the company. On November 3, 2025 a release from [[Echelon Digital Group]], "the Saudi technology holding company," announced a partnership with [[Elutions]] to deploy its Maestro AI platform in industrial and energy enterprises, naming "His Highness Prince Khaled bin Badr Al Saud, Chairman of Echelon Digital" and [[Omar Saleh]] as chief executive of Echelon Digital Group.[^9] On December 2, 2025 [[Rubrik]] announced its entry into Saudi Arabia through a partnership with Echelon Digital Group, quoting "H.H. Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, Executive Chairman of Echelon Digital," and planning data protection and cyber recovery for "enterprises in energy, financial services, and government sectors." The Echelon website lists that release among its own news items under the heading "Rubrik enters Saudi Arabia through a strategic partnership with Echelon."[^3][^20] The site's terms of use name the operator as Echelon Digital Solutions Company, a Saudi company, and the owner of the site content as Echelon Digital Holding Group Ltd, registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre.[^3]
The UK register lists ECHELON DIGITAL GROUP LTD, incorporated June 6, 2025 and active, with a director born December 1997 and recorded as British.[^21]
### Investors
Wamda reported on October 7, 2026 that Echelon had raised an undisclosed round from East40, RAED Ventures and [[Avra]], "alongside Ben Horowitz and other investors." [[Dealroom]] published an item on October 8, 2026 titled "Saudi AI company Echelon launches with backing from Ben Horowitz, Avra and others," which gives no amount or valuation. Both reports say the company had spent about ten months in development.[^18][^22] Dealroom describes Khalid as founder of East40, co-founder of ClearGrid and an adviser to [[Andreessen Horowitz]].[^22]
[[Ben Horowitz]] is a co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz. Andreessen Horowitz led the 2021 seed round and the July 2022 Series A of Nash, the delivery-logistics company where [[Abdulrahman Alfozan]], now a venture partner at RAED Ventures with Khalid, worked as a founding engineer from 2022.[^5][^23][^24]
### RAED Ventures and other ventures
The RAED Ventures team page lists Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud as a Venture Partner, alongside Alfozan and [[Kushal Shah]].[^5] Dealroom lists him as co-founder of [[ClearGrid]], described there as an AI debt-collection company.[^22]
### Father and paternal line
The Companies House name "Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD" is an Arabic nasab, a name chain that states parentage: Khalid, son of Bader, son of Saud, son of Mohammed, son of Abdulaziz.[^1] Scott Stedman was the first to report the link, writing on X on October 13, 2026 that Khalid "appears to be the son of Brigadier General Prince Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud," formerly in the special operations section of the General Intelligence Agency.[^25]
Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud is a brigadier general of the Ministry of Interior special forces and was assistant commander of the force that guards the Grand Mosque in [[Makkah]]. [[Arab News]] wrote on September 23, 2019 that "after his graduation, Prince Bader worked as an officer, detective and search officer with the Riyadh provincial police department before being posted to the Saudi General Intelligence agency to join its special operations section."[^26] The agency is the [[General Intelligence Presidency]].
Bader's brother is [[Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]], president of the [[King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology]] from 2015 to 2021 and an adviser to the [[Saudi Royal Court]] with ministerial rank from December 2018, and so Khalid's paternal uncle. Al-Jazirah listed Turki and Badr among the sons of Saud bin Mohammed on January 22, 2016.[^27]
### Same-name records
Prince [[Khalid bin Salman]] bin Abdulaziz, the defence minister, is named on the [[General Authority for Military Industries]] website as vice chairman of its board.[^28] The names share only the first name and the Al Saud surname,.
A Companies House search for the name returns an officer named Prince KHALID AL SAUD, born September 1994, with a [[Mayfair]] service address, which matches the birth month and year of this subject.[^29] Other officers of the same name have different birth dates: Khalid Bin Sultan AL SAUD (born September 1949), Khalid Bin Khalid AL SAUD (born November 1959), Prince Khalid Bin Bandar Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD (born August 1977) and Khalid ALWALEED BIN TALAL AL SAUD (born September 1976).[^29]
For the Saudi banker of the same first name, see [[Khalid bin Mahfouz]].
### Footnotes
[^1]: UK Companies House, personal appointments of "Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD" (officer record qEEjrdlLsxBzKgtrPk3zXU_hYPc), https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/qEEjrdlLsxBzKgtrPk3zXU_hYPc/appointments. Director of KEKO GROUP LTD (14180252), appointed June 17, 2022; date of birth September 1994; nationality Saudi Arabian; place of residence England.
[^2]: PRNewswire, "IFS and Echelon announce strategic partnership to drive industrial AI transformation to Saudi Arabia," Riyadh, September 30, 2026, https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/ifs-and-echelon-announce-strategic-partnership-to-drive-industrial-ai-transformation-to-saudi-arabia-302894219.html. Quotes "Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, Founder and Managing Director, Echelon."
[^3]: Echelon, website, https://www.echelon.inc/ (single-page site with sections "Why We Exist," "What We Do," "Partners," "The latest news," and the terms of use and privacy policy), captured October 13, 2026 and archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20261013213650/https://www.echelon.inc/.
[^4]: Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, "Introducing Echelon," founder's letter, Riyadh, October 2026, published at https://www.echelon.inc/ and at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/introducing-echelon-khalid-bin-bader-al-saud-oycuc/.
[^5]: RAED Ventures, "Our team," https://raed.vc/ (archived October 13, 2026, https://web.archive.org/web/20261013212530/https://raed.vc/). Lists "Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud" as Venture Partner, with Kushal Shah and Abdulrahman Alfozan in the same category.
[^6]: UK Companies House, personal appointments of "Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD" (officer record cDyKBRijBKybt11YmLstKwJeiaI), https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/cDyKBRijBKybt11YmLstKwJeiaI/appointments. Director of KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD (13728119), appointed November 8, 2021; date of birth September 1994; place of residence Saudi Arabia.
[^7]: UK Companies House, personal appointments of "Khalid Bin Badr Bin Saud M. Bin ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD" (officer record 1_JGhZeOABBdFc81fghIvIkr858), https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/1_JGhZeOABBdFc81fghIvIkr858/appointments. Director of KEKO LC LTD (14981729), appointed July 5, 2023; status dissolved; date of birth September 1994.
[^8]: Zawya, "IFS وEchelon تعلنان عن شراكة استراتيجية لدفع التحول بالذكاء الاصطناعي الصناعي في المملكة العربية السعودية" (IFS and Echelon announce a strategic partnership to drive industrial AI transformation in Saudi Arabia), Arabic press release, October 1, 2026, https://www.zawya.com/ar/بيانا-صحفية/أخبار-الشركات/ifs-وechelon-تعلنان-عن-شراكة-استراتيجية-لدفع-التحول-بالذكاء-الاصطناعي-الصناعي-في-المملكة-العربية-السعودية-1459910. The quotation reads "وفي هذا السياق قال الأمير خالد بن بدر آل سعود، مؤسس Echelon ومديرها التنفيذي".
[^9]: IPS News, "Echelon Digital and Elutions announce strategic partnership to accelerate AI transformation in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East," November 3, 2025, https://ipsnews.net/business/2025/11/03/echelon-digital-and-elutions-announce-strategic-partnership-to-accelerate-ai-transformation-in-saudi-arabia-and-the-middle-east/.
[^10]: UK Companies House, KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD (13728119), company overview, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13728119. Incorporated November 8, 2021; dissolved June 17, 2025; SIC 56101, licensed restaurants.
[^11]: UK Companies House, KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD filing history, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13728119/filing-history. First Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off April 1, 2025; final Gazette June 17, 2025; resolutions of January 26, 2024 filed January 31, 2024; changes to director details dated July 5, September 16 and November 16, 2023.
[^12]: UK Companies House, KEKO GROUP LTD (14180252), company overview, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14180252. Incorporated June 17, 2022; dissolved November 4, 2025; SIC 64209, activities of other holding companies not elsewhere classified.
[^13]: UK Companies House, KEKO GROUP LTD persons with significant control, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14180252/persons-with-significant-control. One person with significant control: Khalid, notified June 17, 2022, ownership of shares 75 percent or more.
[^14]: UK Companies House, KEKO GROUP LTD filing history, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14180252/filing-history. Application to strike off filed August 6, 2025; first Gazette notice August 19, 2025; final Gazette November 4, 2025, dissolved via voluntary strike-off.
[^15]: UK Companies House, KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD persons with significant control, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13728119/persons-with-significant-control. Khalid notified January 12, 2024 (shares and voting rights 75 percent or more, right to appoint or remove directors); Keko Group Ltd (14180252) notified July 13, 2022, ceased January 12, 2024.
[^16]: UK Companies House, KEKO LC LTD (14981729) filing history, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14981729/filing-history. Cessation of Arrow Uk Ventures Ltd and change of details for Keko Group Ltd as persons with significant control on March 1, 2024; termination of Neha Beriwala as director March 1, 2024; application to strike off July 3, 2024; final Gazette October 1, 2024, dissolved via voluntary strike-off.
[^17]: Same release as note 1, as reproduced at https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/ifs-echelon-announce-strategic-partnership-095000341.html. Names IFS's chief executive Mark Moffat and lists asset-intensive sectors "such as energy, manufacturing, oil and gas, aerospace and defence, logistics and telecoms."
[^18]: Wamda, "Saudi AI startup Echelon secures backing from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra," October 2026, https://www.wamda.com/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra (Arabic edition dated October 7, 2026, https://www.wamda.com/ar/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra, archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20261013214422/https://www.wamda.com/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra-arabic). Founded in 2025 in Riyadh by Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud; undisclosed round; about ten months in development.
[^19]: Scott Stedman, post on X, October 13, 2026, https://x.com/i/web/status/2110104832178893109. States that Khalid founded Echelon, an AI company serving Saudi government and defense customers.
[^20]: Security MEA, "Rubrik Enters Saudi Market in Strategic Partnership with Echelon Digital," December 3, 2025, https://securitymea.com/2025/12/03/rubrik-enters-saudi-market-in-strategic-partnership-with-echelon-digital/. The Echelon website dates the release December 2, 2025.
[^21]: UK Companies House, ECHELON DIGITAL GROUP LTD (16500930), company overview and officers, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/16500930/officers. Incorporated June 6, 2025; status active; SIC 73110, advertising agencies; director born December 1997, British, appointed June 6, 2025.
[^22]: Dealroom, "Saudi AI company Echelon launches with backing from Ben Horowitz, Avra and others," October 8, 2026, https://dealroom.co/news/160932-saudi-ai-company-echelon-launches-with-backing-from-ben-horowitz-avra-an/. Names the investors, Khalid as founder of East40, co-founder of ClearGrid and adviser to Andreessen Horowitz; no amount or valuation.
[^23]: Andreessen Horowitz, "Investing in Nash," July 26, 2022, https://a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-nash/. "a16z is leading the Series A for Nash"; the firm "first partnered with Nash for their seed round in the fall of 2021."
[^24]: TechCrunch, "Nash raises cash to help merchants manage local deliveries," July 26, 2022, https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/26/nash-raises-cash-to-help-merchants-manage-local-deliveries/. A $20 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, bringing total funding to $27.8 million, including a $7.8 million seed round that the company's chief executive says Andreessen Horowitz also led.
[^25]: Scott Stedman, post on X, October 13, 2026, https://x.com/i/web/status/2110106692914696402. Says Khalid "appears to be" the son of Brig. Gen. Prince Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, formerly in the special operations section of the General Intelligence Agency.
[^26]: Arab News, "Brig. Gen. Prince Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, assistant commander for special forces security at Makkah's Grand Mosque," September 23, 2019, https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/brig-gen-prince-bader-bin-saud-bin-mohammed-al-saud-assistant-commander-for-special-forces-security-at-makkahs-grand-mosque-1558696.
[^27]: Al-Jazirah, "Saud bin Mohammed: journey and history," January 22, 2016, https://www.al-jazirah.com/2016/20160122/wa1.htm (Arabic). Gives his name as Saud bin Mohammed (al-Mutawwa) bin Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Faisal bin Turki; the sons listed include Khalid (eldest), Turki, Abdulaziz "al-Samer," Sultan, Saad, Badr, Nawaf, Mutaib and Faisal; Badr's mother is named as Al-Anoud bint Abdullah bin Abdulmohsen Al-Furm.
[^28]: General Authority for Military Industries, news item on the defence minister and new SAMI companies, https://www.gami.gov.sa/en/news/defense-minister-inaugurates-new-sami-companies-inks-international-cooperation-deals-world. Names Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz as defence minister and vice chairman of the board.
[^29]: UK Companies House, officer search results for "Khalid Al Saud," https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/search/officers?q=Khalid+Al+Saud. Lists the officers with the birth months and years given in this section.