Sorin Marinescu, CEO MyAngels.com: “If you would have invested in early Facebook, Instagram, or Uber — why not invest in the next big success?”
In Romania, there remains a visible gap in understanding this phenomenon. Many investors say that, had they had the chance, they would have gladly invested in the early days of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, or even Uber. They are convinced they would have “seen the trend” and accepted the risk. Yet when asked how many new social media platforms they are actually investing in today, the answer is often zero.
This contradiction reveals a deeper issue: a lack of clarity about how these businesses really work — the steps from idea to traction and monetization, and the business model that sustains their growth.
This series of articles aims to close that gap, offering both explanations and perspective. Our goal is to show why social media is not just hype, but one of the most powerful — and often misunderstood — business models of our time, provided it is approached with vision, commitment, and the right strategy.
Social media platforms often look like overnight successes, but behind every billion-dollar story lie vision, timing, and relentless work. In this Q&A series with Sorin Marinescu, MBA, founder & CEO of MyAngels.com, we explore how platforms are born, grow, attract investors, and monetize — revealing why this model is at once the fastest path to wealth and one of the most misunderstood in today’s economy.
The Birth of Social Media Platforms
Sorin Marinescu, CEO MyAngels.com: “Everything lies in the scale, speed, and transformative power of social media. Unlike most businesses, a social media platform is not limited by geography, physical assets, or slow growth cycles. With the right idea, technology, and execution, it can scale globally in just a few months, attracting millions of users and reaching billion-dollar valuations. These stories prove that when the right idea meets the right timing and the right team, the outcome can be transformative — not only for founders and investors, but also for the way society communicates and functions.”
Q. Why do entrepreneurs find social media so appealing?
Sorin Marinescu, CEO MyAngels.com: “For entrepreneurs, social media is the ultimate dream: you can create something that scales globally without the limits of geography or physical assets. With the right idea, technology, and execution, you can go from a student project to a billion-dollar company in just a few years. Mark Zuckerberg with Facebook or Evan Spiegel with Snapchat are clear examples — ordinary founders who created extraordinary impact. The appeal lies both in the speed of growth and in the chance to shape culture.”
Q. Why are investors so attracted to early-stage social media platforms?
Sorin Marinescu, CEO MyAngels.com: “Because the upside is enormous. Social media is a winner-takes-all market: one dominant platform can capture hundreds of millions of users and billions in revenue. Early investors who spot the trend can make life-changing returns. Think of Peter Thiel — his $500,000 investment in Facebook turned into over $1 billion at IPO. Or Chris Sacca, who backed Twitter early and multiplied his money hundreds of times. These stories fuel the appetite for high-risk, high-reward bets.”
Q. What drives visionaries to build social media platforms?
Sorin Marinescu, CEO MyAngels.com: “For visionaries, it’s not just about money — it’s about changing how people connect. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the founders of Instagram, didn’t set out to build an ad machine; they wanted to reinvent how we share moments through photos. Social media offers visionaries the chance to influence human behavior on a massive scale. That is an irresistible motivation for those who dream beyond profit.”
Q. What exactly is the business model of a social media platform?
Sorin Marinescu, CEO MyAngels.com: “The model doesn’t begin with physical goods, but with people, attention, and data. The raw material is users’ time, content, and interactions. The platform offers free access, and in return, users generate value through content and engagement. The real product is the audience. The larger and more active the audience, the more valuable the platform becomes to advertisers, brands, or partners. That is why scale and engagement are everything in social media.”
Q. How is this different from the classical business model?
Sorin Marinescu, CEO MyAngels.com: “In traditional business, you invest money, buy raw materials, add value, and sell products at a margin. The cycle is predictable, measurable, and relatively stable. In social media, growth is non-linear. Each new user increases the value of the platform for all others — the famous network effect. On top of that, scalability is exponential: a factory can only produce as much as its machines allow, but a social media platform can grow from 10,000 to 100 million users without costs increasing at the same rate. Put simply: in the classical model you sell products; in the social media model you sell access to people’s attention — and that is the most valuable currency of our digital age. For example, at MyAngels.com, people’s attention is directed exclusively toward Goodness, toward gaining time and building a better life.”
Coming Next
In the next article, we will answer the questions every entrepreneur and investor is asking:
- Why can’t social media platforms work with a fixed budget and a clear time horizon, like traditional businesses?
- How much money do they actually need to grow?
- Do all social media platforms share the same business model?
- Why don’t they charge users directly?
- When does monetization truly begin?
Acest articol nu reprezintă consultanță financiară.
