Discover an exclusive interview with Eugen Cojocaru, founder of Universum Media, on authentic leadership, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, business strategy, and building companies that create lasting impact.
Eugen Cojocaru is a serial entrepreneur (with over 20 years of experience as a technology expert) who, over the past 13 years, has built several companies in fields such as technology, marketing, investments, media, and business consulting.
His declared mission is to support, through everything he does, the development of a world shaped by authentic leaders who create environments where people grow together, excel, and prosper.
He is the organizer of the Transylvania Meets Business People event and has participated as both a speaker and moderator at numerous business and personal development events. In addition, Eugen supports entrepreneurs through one-on-one consulting, leadership courses, and business strategy programs.
C&B: If we were to look at the narrative thread of your career, what were the key moments that defined you?
Eugen: You’re inviting me to take a wonderful trip down memory lane. I’ll start with the moment when, after my first three months at university, I sought and received support from two professors to study beyond the curriculum and the standard coursework. Later, at the end of my first year, I decided to get a job so I could learn real things from the industry, complementing what I was studying at university. I didn’t care how much I would be paid—I was actually willing to pay for the opportunity to access environments where I could interact with professionals developing technology. I had the privilege of meeting people who trusted me, were patient with me, and guided me through my first steps in the field. That encouraged me to keep growing, realizing that personal development is a never-ending journey that I can enjoy throughout my entire life.
Another defining moment was the experience I gained while working as an employee in a multinational organization, where I came to understand the importance of systems and the fact that, within a company, people are a form of capital rather than merely a resource.
In 2013, together with an exceptional person who became my business partner, I founded my first company—a technology company. Over the next four to five years, we built a team of passionate professionals around us, all engaged in a continuous development process. However, I eventually realized that everything revolved around me. I was an excellent leader and a very good manager, but I also realized that business is about much more than that.
The next step involved educating myself in entrepreneurship while deepening my self-awareness. During that journey, I met extraordinary people who became true mentors. I enjoyed this growth process so much that I became involved far beyond simply learning concepts. The results quickly became visible in my business, and those who noticed the transformation began asking me for consulting. That is how both the desire and the personal fulfillment of helping others grow came into my life.
From there, things expanded further. I founded and developed other companies while simultaneously helping dozens of entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Yet, directly or indirectly, everything intersects with what will soon become as commonplace as electricity is today: technology and artificial intelligence.
I then became involved in business communities, created events designed to make a positive impact on society, and taught at university. I’ve managed to accomplish many of the things I once only dreamed about, and the story continues. Over time, I’ve learned that one of the most important abilities a person can develop is the ability to reinvent themselves, and that becomes possible by creating a vision with genuine purpose for the next stage of growth.
C&B: What has been the most difficult moment in your journey so far, and how did you overcome it?
Eugen: I gave this question a lot of thought, and I realized it’s difficult for me to choose a specific moment simply because I don’t really perceive any experience as a burden. Early on, I understood that every challenge I encounter is an opportunity for growth and that, as long as I don’t give up searching for solutions, I will become stronger. I’ve learned to appreciate challenges when they arise and even to seek them out by placing myself in situations where they are inevitable. I’ve faced many challenges, and I’m certain there will be many more because I have no intention of stopping.
To answer your question more directly, I believe my greatest challenge was understanding that nobody owes me anything and that everything ultimately depends on me. That realization gave birth to a level of responsibility that freed me from expectations and empowered me to act with confidence.
C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of the obstacles?
Eugen: I don’t believe there’s a single thing that has had that effect, but it’s certainly not ambition—it’s commitment. Commitment to excellence. I want to dedicate myself to things that honor who I am because life is too short to play small. The difference between who I am today and who I can become lies in what I do every single day, and that occupies all of my time.
C&B: Which professional experiences shaped you the most before launching Universum?
Eugen: Beyond my career as an employee, where I learned a great deal about work ethic and professionalism, I also had the opportunity to build at least one company beforehand. That allowed me to approach consulting, media, and marketing with maturity and confidence, as they all became part of the Universum group.
Before developing this group of companies, I had recruited hundreds of people, built high-performing teams, worked with international clients, and understood that every successful business is built upon an inspiring vision, a strategy firmly rooted in market realities, exceptional people, and effective systems.
C&B: If we were to meet your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?
Eugen: Some time ago, I read something that completely changed the way I approach life. To paraphrase it, it goes something like this: “I don’t know the secret to success, but I certainly know the secret to failure: trying to please everyone.”
Some people might say that I turned them down, but it’s important to be selective about whom we dedicate our limited energy to and why. Others might say that I could have done better—and they would be right. That mindset pushes me to continuously learn from every experience and keep evolving. Perfection doesn’t exist, but I am fully committed to excellence.
The vast majority of my collaborators would probably say that I am a man of principles (although that doesn’t necessarily mean they always appreciate it! 😊). They would also say that whenever things don’t go according to plan, I’m there to look for solutions—and we always find them.
I’m a loyal person who values long-term relationships built on mutual trust and on the idea of creating situations where three parties benefit: myself, my collaborator, and society. We all need people we can rely on, and we all need to surround ourselves with individuals we trust. I constantly strive to choose such people to be around me while also being that kind of person for them.
C&B: What is the most important decision you’ve ever made—the one that changed your trajectory?
Eugen: Choosing, with confidence and pragmatism, the right people to accompany me on a journey that would ultimately impact many others. Refusing to compromise just to keep close those who were unwilling to do what we had agreed upon.
In business, emotional attachments and excessive emotional involvement undermine performance and the ability to build something solid and scalable. I’ve concluded that true success requires harmony between the passion and spirit of a people-oriented culture and the pragmatism of systems focused on delivering excellent results.
C&B: How did you develop your leadership style and your approach to decision-making? Was it something natural or something you learned?
Eugen: The answer is actually in your question—I built it.
From an early age, I paid close attention to the small details that make a difference, and I’ve always loved people. That naturally helped me do many things in ways that now feel instinctive. However, over time I realized that everything is actually the result of thorough preparation—initially unconscious and later intentional—which gave me the privilege of knowing how to choose valuable people to have by my side and how to filter those who had already passed the initial selection. 😊
The easiest problems to solve are the ones we never have because we’ve anticipated them and elegantly avoided them.
From my perspective, every organization relies on two essential forms of capital without which it cannot perform: financial capital and human capital.
I genuinely love people, and it brings me great satisfaction to identify those with whom I can share different stages of our journey. Leadership has become one of the central areas of everything I do because, in reality, abstract leadership principles lie at the root of most of our successes and challenges, whether we’re talking about our professional or personal lives.
Over the years, I’ve learned that one of the most valuable abilities a person can develop is self-awareness. The better you know yourself, the better you are able to understand others.
For me, an authentic leader isn’t someone who has followers, but someone who creates other authentic leaders.
C&B: What differentiates Universum Media from other agencies or media projects on the market?
Eugen: We chose to enter the marketing and media industry because this is where we can create meaningful impact for both businesses and society. There are many aspects that make us different, but I’ll mention just a few.
We operate at the intersection of marketing expertise and business consulting—an essential combination that allows us to understand much more than traditional marketing expressed through social media posts, articles, or other execution-focused activities. We begin by understanding the company’s objectives and then reflect them in measurable strategies and implementation.
We’ve also developed our own proprietary framework, ValueDrive™, which enables us to work in a structured and transparent way, starting from the real needs of the business and implementing concrete actions that generate equally concrete and measurable results.
The media landscape is essential for visibility and social impact. We live in a world that is becoming increasingly dependent on authentic and valuable information, and that comes with great responsibility.
C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and which moments of the day bring you the greatest satisfaction?
Eugen: My day starts early, before sunrise, with exercise and time spent with my family. It continues with activities that provide direction and support for the companies I’m involved in, and it ends with quality family time, reading, and rest.
The moments that bring me the greatest satisfaction are those spent with my family and those in which the people I work with succeed. It’s easy to feel good when you’re surrounded by people who are doing well.
C&B: How do you manage the challenge of creating content that remains authentic while also delivering results for your clients?
Eugen: Authenticity is an essential ingredient of great content, but it’s amplified by the ability to truly understand clients’ real needs—beyond what they initially express during the first conversations.
It’s a process of discovery. Clients gradually open up, we explore together, and together we uncover deeper levels of need and the reasons behind them. Once we’ve reached that point, it becomes much easier to identify exactly what best fits each unique situation.
At the same time, we benefit from technology that enables us to significantly accelerate many stages of implementation and delivery. The real key lies at the intersection between the human element and technology.
C&B: How did the idea for Universum Media come about, and what motivated you to start your own business in the media industry?
Eugen: Universum Media emerged from a personal need that I identified within the other businesses I already owned: the need to approach brand exposure and promotion in a structured, measurable way, at the intersection of business and marketing.
We quickly realized that marketing and media are industries with tremendous future potential and a significant impact on both business and society. Our main motivation was to contribute to the evolution of this industry while also benefiting from that evolution ourselves.
C&B: What strategic directions will Universum Media explore over the next two to five years?
Eugen: Our focus will be on helping brands benefit from the intersection of promotion, visibility, and trust-building.
Additionally, we will continue to adapt to the constant changes taking place in this dynamic industry. We are currently developing an online platform that will allow not only us but also other agencies in the field to intelligently automate both marketing strategy development and implementation.
This will enable professionals to focus on what people will increasingly be expected to do in the future: build authentic relationships with clients, guide them through meaningful questions to uncover relevant answers, and master the ability to truly understand their needs so they can provide solutions that make a real difference.
It sounds great in theory, but putting it into practice is an art—and that’s exactly what we do every single day.
Eugen Cojocaru’s interview highlights how authentic leadership, innovation, technology, and continuous growth can transform both businesses and people. Drawing on his extensive experience in entrepreneurship, business consulting, and media, the founder of Universum Media shares valuable insights into the future of marketing, artificial intelligence, and building high-performing organizations founded on trust, strategy, and people.
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