Connecting Visionaries and Changemakers with the Best Clubs in the World

10 Best Companies of the Year 2023

In this issue of the digital magazine, we feature the 10 Best Companies of the Year 2023, and networkx is one of them. networkx is a platform that connects visionaries and changemakers with the best clubs in the world, serving the legacy of the clubs and bringing them into the future. In this interview, we will learn more about the challenges that networkx faced, its mission, vision, and core values, the company’s awards and recognitions, and its plans for the future.

Follow the highlights of the interview between networkx and Business Leaders Review:-

Tell us a little bit about your background. What was the goal behind founding the company?

Most of my background is in global risk management, such as consulting for the boards of listed companies, working on large construction projects, and coordinating with one of the world’s leading NGOs. I also did my doctorate in the field of risk and crisis management. By chance, I got into venture capital – which was an eye-opener. I think by that point, the world of startups already had me hooked.

My startup idea formed because my biggest passion is finding amazing people and connecting them, adding value to them, and supporting them so they can make their dreams come true. I have been a member of several exclusive clubs since I was 19. I got into the first club by chance thanks to a junior management award I won. The clubs, my voluntary work, and my international roles enabled me to build up a world-class network. I wanted to build up a scalable business, a startup that would enable others to follow in my footsteps. I saw that, in recent years, clubs had been complaining more and more about overaging and lack of diversity – which inspired my business idea.

Give us a comprehensive take on your primary services? And also talk about the innovative services you offer to global clients.

networkx is a lead generation platform for more than 100,000 exclusive clubs in the world that currently source just via member recommendation. We are talking about business, private members, polo, golf, yacht, service, art, and crypto clubs. networkx serves as an additional generator of quality-assured leads, which helps clubs solve member overage, diversity & inclusion, and growth challenges. We help by providing individuals and organizations with the networks they need to bring their visions to life. We are innovative because we build a platform and do our business in a scalable way.

As you integrate AI into your services? How do you keep up with the changing technology?

networkx is basically a marketplace that brings clubs together with individuals and organizations that are interested in joining. The matching happens automatically based on the applicant profiles and the club’s requirements. We are also planning to incorporate AI in the processes to control discrimination and learn more about building functioning ecosystems. To keep up with the changing technology, we partner with Namsor, who built an AI kit to help us avoid discrimination in our application and selection process.

Who is your target audience? Which countries/regions do you cater to?

My target audience is individuals that have a good heart, passion, drive, and aim to have a positive impact on the world in general. We already have global coverage, however, we are strongest in Central Europe (especially Germany & Switzerland), and we are building in the US and Southeast Asia right now. We aim to become globally recognized.

What were some of the challenges the firm faced and how did it overcome them?

I did not start off as a solopreneur, so the main challenge for me was losing my co-founders. However, I did not give up, and networkx is developing very well. As a solopreneur, especially as a first-time founder and a woman, it is very hard to get funding. The biggest concern for investors is the mental and physical health of the solopreneur. They are afraid that if you get hit by a car or get burned out the startup will fall apart. So, I bootstrapped my company. Now that we are doing well, we are getting interest. It seems people are most willing to give you money when you least need it.

List some of your company’s awards and recognitions.

Networkx has a ton of awards and recognitions. Specific to startups, we successfully passed three programmes: The “TOA Klub” Incubator from the Tech Open Air Berlin Incubator in 2021, the “Kickstart International” internationalization programme offered by Germany Accelerator and the German Ministry of Economics, and now, in 2023, the Founder Institute Accelerator – the world’s largest pre-seed/seed accelerator.

Tell us more about connection and community building and how the company incorporates it into their team?

We do not tell others how to connect. We really live it. We built an ecosystem where we care about each other, where we are honest about our wellbeing, mental health, challenges, and we all actively support each other. Everyone in networkx is encouraged to recognise and make known what they can give and where they wish to be supported. Everyone looks out for opportunities for each other and for our clubs, club applicants and partners.

For that reason, we created the networkx awards – to foster a culture of authenticity, networking, connecting and collaborating. We’ve just kicked off the first awards for Germany. The ceremony will be held at the National German Polo Championship in Berlin. We were able to attract jury members such as the Vice Miss Germany 2023, Romy Kölzer, leading corporate influencer Dr. Irène Kilubi, who is very active in pushing for more diversity, and Tim von Törne, the co-founder of Germany’s leading automated driving startup, among others. The most important criterion for the selection, however, was shared values.

Can you tell us more about networkx’s mission, vision, and core values?

Our mission is to connect changemakers and visionaries with the best clubs in the world. We believe that by doing so, we can equip club applicants with the network they need to make their visions and ideas come to life. Additionally, we strive to serve the legacy of the clubs by providing younger, suitable, and motivated members to revitalize them and provide healthy expansion while maintaining exclusivity and staying true to their purpose.

Our vision is to contribute to the world and to a bright, loveable, and safe future. We believe that the club landscape did and does contribute to economic prosperity and international relations and can help to ensure exactly that future. By bringing start-ups and the next generations together, we can drive innovations and new ideas and change the world!

As for our core values, we are committed to authenticity, networking, connecting, and collaborating. We believe in fostering a culture of kindness, community building, and co-creation to empower our clients to achieve their goals.

What are your plans for the future?

Our plan is to expand and strengthen our global presence and become better at serving all of our clients. We are constantly working on ways to improve our services and offerings. For clubs, we plan to create community building and management services to support their growth and success. For club applicants, we want to introduce new ways to help them build up a world-class network that will enable them to achieve their goals. We also want to foster worldwide kindness, collaboration and co-creation by expanding our awards program around the world.