In an age of endless conference badges and open bars, Viktory Agency is betting that the future of business networking lies in doing far less, but doing it far better. The Zurich based agency has launched THE Circle, an invitation-only international community built to connect entrepreneurs, investors, executives, innovators, creatives and luxury brands through a small number of tightly curated experiences rather than the crowded gatherings that usually pass for professional networking.
The community made its debut on 4 July at the Baur au Lac, the storied Zurich hotel that has hosted heads of state and industry for more than a century. The setting was deliberate. THE Circle is being positioned as a place where reputation and discretion matter as much as ambition, and where a single well judged introduction is treated as the beginning of something durable.
Connections become capital
The organising idea is captured in the community's own motto, that connections become capital. Every introduction, the agency argues, carries the potential to turn into a collaboration, an investment or a new venture, and so the guest list is treated as the product. Membership is deliberately selective. Applicants are weighed not only on professional track record but on integrity, international outlook and a willingness to contribute to a trusted circle, a filter designed to keep the quality of each conversation high.
That philosophy was on display at the launch, where the room was kept intentionally small. Among the guests were the investor and journalist Anna Stukkert, Lidia Weber of the Austrian jewellery house Oliver Weber Collection, and the tennis player and TEDx speaker Anwar Elkamony, alongside the agency's founder. The presence of Oliver Weber Collection, known for pairing traditional European craftsmanship with contemporary design, reflected the community's ambition to place premium brands directly in front of the people who shape markets.
A founder shaped by the camera
THE Circle grew out of the international career of its founder, Viktoriya Kukhta. Before building Viktory Agency, she spent more than a decade as a professional photographer, working the front rows of major events including Paris Fashion Week and Milan Fashion Week. Years spent documenting the worlds of fashion, finance and culture gave her both an unusually broad address book and a close view of how relationships quietly turn into business.
That vantage point now sits at the heart of the agency's approach. Where the guests at the Zurich launch came from Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy and Egypt, and from sectors spanning finance, venture capital, hospitality, technology, fashion, media, art and philanthropy, the evening itself was choreographed to encourage real conversation. The program blended a luxury speed networking format, a flying dinner, keynote talks and live performances, an attempt to make an evening feel productive without feeling transactional.
A European expansion already booked
The agency is not waiting to build on the debut. On 10 September 2026 the community will gather in Lugano for an exclusive evening headlined by the pop group Bad Boys Blue, and a rollout of an Annual Membership Program across Switzerland, France and Germany is set to follow, creating a standing ecosystem for founders, investors and executives rather than a one off event.
The calendar then moves to Paris. On 28 September 2026, during Paris Fashion Week, Viktory Agency will stage Viktory Paris Vision at the Mairie du 16e arrondissement, bringing together figures from fashion, diplomacy, investment and the creative industries. Further gatherings are already planned for Zurich and Monaco, with a second flagship edition of Viktory Paris Vision slated for March 2027.
Quality over quantity
The wager underneath all of it is that as global business grows more relationship driven, the value of a network lies not in its size but in the trust it holds. THE Circle proposes to measure success by the quality of the partnerships it produces rather than the number of cards exchanged, a claim that will be tested over the coming year as the community moves from a single Zurich evening to a string of dates across Europe. If the bet is right, the most valuable currency in international business may turn out to be the shortest guest list.
