Jos Spinhoven and Erik Mikurcik have set their sights on a lofty goal: to create an international business club that incorporates an auction house and a digital wallet. By bringing together these three platforms, CONEXUS seeks to eliminate imperfections in existing platforms and offer a more diverse range of products and services to its users. The business club will create a strong seller database by building a wider and more interesting range of products and services on the auction platform, while the digital wallet will provide a safe, comfortable, and affordable way to pay for any goods and services. “Our goal is to create the first worldwide business club by connecting several of them and thus attracting members worldwide. The first focus will be to create a strong network within Europe but afterwards we plan to expand to different continents,” says Spinhoven.

Jos Spinhoven’s career makes him an ideal candidate to bring innovation to the business of auctioning. The CEO has more than 20 years of experience in the online auction business and has also built up a real estate portfolio (in the Netherlands and Spain). At the age of 17, he launched his first business, and ever since, he has founded several more enterprises centered around the concept of auction-style selling. This has allowed him to gather extensive knowledge about what sellers and buyers require from an auction platform. The second founder and CEO, Erik Mikurcik, in turn, is an experienced real estate professional who has focused on attracting international investors and developers to invest in Slovakia and Middle Europe. His international approach, strong communication skills, and ability to build strong partnerships have been crucial to the success of the CO­NEXUS project. Last, but not least, the silent partner of the company brings extensive experience in pro­ject management and in the telecommunications industry to the team.

Together, the trio is leveraging their diverse backgrounds to create a platform that will provide a new level of collaboration, communication, and cooperation to the business world. “Fate wanted the three of us to meet,” Spinhoven and Mikurcik agree. “We understood each other and shared our experiences and strong stories to create synergy.”

The newly founded company CONEXUS has received funding from Twyford Alliance Limited trust including an initial working capital of EUR 22.3 million as well as a financial support of EUR 200 million. The founders see it as a testament to the potential of their vision. This financial support is crucial in enabling Jos Spinhoven and Erik Mikurcik to realize their innovative project.

The immediate plans of CO­NEXUS focus around three pillars: acquiring a World Trade Center (WTC) license in Monte Carlo, Monaco; integrating a marketplace / auction platform to their business club platform; and the development of the CONEXUS wallet.

The World Trade Center (WTC) license is intended to help connect businesses and promote growth both locally and internationally (in virtual and physical settings). The founders explain that this would allow them to connect with some of Europe’s wealthiest and influential companies and individuals and benefit from the continent’s purchasing power. “Having your business connected to and a part of World Trade Center Monaco would mean your business has a presence in a highly-privileged environment, in a country with an unbeatable purchasing power,” explains Spinhoven. “But our ambition goes well beyond the traditional services that most business clubs offer. We want to stand out from the crowd by offering our members some innovative and exciting new services.”

CONEXUS is considering diffe­rent options to make WTC Monaco the center of the Monégasque territory, including investing in an already existing hotel or structure and reno­vating it to attract high-end busi­nesses and investors to the region. “We are also interested in expan­ding into the sea to create high-end structures, such as shopping malls, a marina, exhibit areas, and a hotel,” explains Mikurcik. “For this, we are willing to co-invest between 300 million to 1.5 billion € in the region.”

Developing a World Trade Center facility in Monaco has various benefits, including attracting local government officials to boost the local economy, becoming an international business and investment enabler through a premium business address, diversifying tenant base, boosting revenues by hosting on-site international trade events and programs, and increasing the utility of the commercial complex. Additio­nally, developing a WTC facility leads to a higher square meter price for offices created and developed compared to other similar offices.

One key point to note is that WTC businesses are operated under a license granted by the WTCA, which is the sole owner of the brand worldwide with city-wise exclusivity. This means that while there may be many office buildings in a city, there can only be one WTC location.

Innovation by utilizing novel and promising technologies is the cornerstone of CONEXUS. The plan is to create a virtual reality boardroom, allowing members to meet with any other WTC Monaco business club member using VR glasses. In an effort to enhance member connections, they plan to integrate ChatGPT, a remarkable AI software developed by OpenAI that has garnered widespread attention from researchers and the public alike. “With 10,000 to 100,000 connected businesses, it can be challenging to find the right match,” explains Spinhoven, “but ChatGPT can help connect members with providing the right keywords and activities.”

Monte Carlo is a hub for nautical activities; accordingly, CONEXUS also plans to purchase a yacht that will be available for meetings and events for future WTC Monaco members. Members will receive a credit line in Euros to spend on marketing through the accessible marketplace / auction house. Various membership levels will be available, with higher membership offering greater credit lines than membership costs, making it particularly attractive to businesses looking to promote their products and services on the platform. Finally, CONEXUS plans to offer members a “board” of influential individuals in several branches, capitalizing on Monte Carlo’s reputation as the perfect location for creating such a board. With these unique services and facilities, CONEXUS is poised to set itself apart from other business clubs, helping its members to grow and succeed in the global marketplace.

In addition to these services, CONEXUS plans to offer a social media-like platform for businesses and professionals to connect and leave reviews, allowing for favorites to be saved for future communication and business. Members will have access to facilities and services of other connected business clubs throughout Europe, such as the use of boardrooms and offices.

The next step to the plans of CONEXUS is an integrated marketplace / auction platform that will be available for everybody to use. “Most business clubs primarily focus on B2B businesses, leaving B2C businesses at a disadvantage,” says Spinhoven – “to address this issue, we have decided to integrate an auction platform to our business club that enables members to promote and sell their services and products.” The paid membership fee can be used for promotional purposes on the auction platform, making it a win-win situation for members as the membership already pays for itself from the beginning.

What sets this auction platform apart from others is the focus on ­creating a strong business club that will automatically feed the marketplace with new deals. Instead of relying on attracting new sellers, the membership fees will be primarily used to promote the platform and create a strong client base for members to realize new sales.

Expanding CONEXUS’s business club with the integration of an auction platform will then be complemented with the introduction of a digital wallet. According to Spinhoven, “the platform is unique in that it focuses on building a strong business club that will automatically feed the marketplace, thanks to integrated credit lines for promotional purpo­ses.” The digital wallet will be connected to the business club and the auction platform, and it offers various functionalities that make it an all-in-one financial service. It offers clients a clear overview of their balances, tracking of spending, upcoming bills, easy and quick payment options, and more. Clients can also store their cards digitally and receive cashback rewards on purchases, discounts on holidays, car rentals, and hotels. The CONEXUS wallet is intended to act as a reliable partner in managing, saving, and growing money, and will be available on all devices, including as an app on Android and Apple as well as a web page.

With a clear vision and sufficient funding, CONEXUS is poised to transform the financial services industry and provide a new level of convenience and accessibility to its users. As the company continues to expand its offering and attract new members, CEOs are convinced of their platform’s potential and eagerly ask: „What’s your connection to CONEXUS?“

Jos Spinhoven and Erik Mikurcik have launched CONEXUS, an innovative platform that combines an auction platform and a digital wallet to offer a wide range of products and services.

Fotos: Gianmaria Gava