Alex Olteanu, Founder of Mesageria: How Technology and Vintage Make Weddings Unforgettable

Discover the story of Alex Olteanu, founder of mesageria, a brand that blends technology with vintage objects to create unforgettable events, turning every wedding into a unique experience.

Alex Olteanu is the founder of mesageria, a brand that blends technology with old objects and makes wedding parties memorable through phones that record voice messages during the event.

C&B: If you were to describe yourself briefly, in a single sentence that sparks curiosity, what would you say about yourself?

Alex: I’d say I’m a geek with social skills (impossible, I know). I love technology, and at the same time I enjoy making people’s lives easier, all combined with a passion for old things.

That’s how I founded mesageria, a brand that combines old objects (vintage phones) with modern technology. The vintage phones are brought back to life, given new functions (for example, they can record voice messages), and rented out for private events (such as weddings) or brand activations.

C&B: If we asked your colleagues or collaborators to describe you, what do you think they would say about you?

Alex: I think they would talk about trust, reliability, and a “let’s make it happen” attitude (that exact spirit that makes anything possible). I’ve always lived by the “extra mile” motto, meaning taking things a bit further, and that has meant always offering more than I think people expect.

Journey & beginnings

C&B: What were you like at the beginning of your journey and how do you feel you’ve changed up to today?

Alex: I think all the experience behind me came with a lot of courage. The diversity of fields I’ve worked in over time has made me much more diligent with any idea, and from idea to plan it’s just one step. I believe the most important thing I’ve learned (and set out to do) was to start — because once something is started, half the work is already done.

C&B: Looking back, what were the turning points that shaped your professional path or your business?

Alex: There were multiple moments when I found myself asking, “So what do I do now?” And I think each of those situations made the decisions that followed easier. When I founded mesageria, I had just spent almost seven years in the same multinational company. It was another such moment, but with an infinite desire to go on my own (for as long as possible). It worked, and I managed to turn a simple idea into a full-time business.

Challenges & decisions

C&B: What has been the hardest challenge so far and how did you overcome it?

Alex: Of course, it was when I decided to step a bit out of the corporate zone and develop my own brand. At the time, I saw it as something temporary, but here I am two years later, still here.

At that time, mesageria was just a prototype (which I had worked on for six months). It was far from ready, but I already had everything in mind: an online booking platform, phone models to restore, and how to reach as many people as possible. That helped because it kept me on a business path that could otherwise have easily fallen apart.

C&B: What decision most changed the direction of your career or business?

Alex: For mesageria, it was the moment when brands saw the value in our concept and started asking for various features I hadn’t necessarily thought about until then. I decided to respond to those requests, and that led to the development of an entire business unit focused on brand activations using vintage phones (basically, old technology brought back to life). That’s how new features appeared and how, for example, I made the rotary system of a 50-year-old phone work again and recognize the dialed number. And the people who interact with the phones at events make everything so much more beautiful.

C&B: Has your leadership and decision-making style formed naturally, or did you build it over time through experience?

Alex: Experience definitely helped enormously. My journey was completely atypical because I started (as a student) working for a series of film festivals where I developed both technical and production skills (and where I learned that sometimes you can be good at everything). I had a taste of entrepreneurship in HoReCa, learned sales in the financial sector, and then continued in the corporate IT market. All the accumulated experience is part of who I am today. I learned from many mistakes, solved problems through trial and error, and optimized many processes during my corporate years. That defines a lot of how the mesageria business is organized, from pricing strategy to component sourcing.

Present & differentiators

C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now and which moments bring you the greatest joy?

Alex: I like days that bring something new, and I think that’s the biggest advantage of being an entrepreneur. If many days focus on marketing and communication, the most beautiful ones are those when I decide that a certain vintage phone model should be part of the mesageria collection. That’s when the search begins in collectors’ groups or at fairs.

And of course, as simple as the mesageria business may seem, it actually consists of many elements: vintage phones, hardware for the mesageria system, software that is continuously improved, new features and new areas of application (the most recent project involves museums and art galleries), plus the new project, wedding on film.

C&B: What do you think makes you different from other professionals or other businesses in your field?

Alex: I believe I built everything around a quality service rather than the “cheapest” one. I’ve always put clients at the center and I always put myself in their shoes. That’s how all business decisions are defined.

In addition, everything about mesageria started from the premise of building something unique. It would have been very easy to import phones that already have a voice recording function, but I chose to focus on authenticity and build my own system compatible with old phones. That makes things sustainable at the same time, because I chose to save old objects instead of creating new ones without personality.

Values & inspiration

C&B: Was there a dream or desire that kept you motivated regardless of obstacles?

Alex: As far as mesageria is concerned, from the beginning I set out to have the largest collection of vintage phones in the country available for rent. Did I get there? Very possible. But what’s more important is the trajectory I followed. And happy clients have always been the best motivation.

C&B: What values or principles guide you day by day and how do you manage to keep them alive in what you do?

Alex: I brought many personal principles into the business, and sometimes that wasn’t exactly pleasant. One of them is related to the balance between what you give and what you receive in a business relationship. That’s how I built mesageria’s relationship with all clients, and it’s a foundation for pricing policies, quality standards, extra services, and many other values that define the brand.

C&B: If you could share a single thought with those who see you as a role model, what would it be?

Alex: I mentioned earlier that the most important step is to start. And I think that’s the first piece of advice I would give anyone. To start, no matter how shyly, small, or with minimal investment. Once you’ve taken that step, it will be much clearer whether the idea works, whether you have the right people around you, and especially whether you are made for it.

Alex Olteanu’s journey shows how a passion for technology combined with an appreciation for vintage objects can turn a simple idea into an innovative business, where every detail matters and every client becomes part of the story.