Interview with Cosmin Măcăneață, Founder and Managing Partner of Omega Trust, after 20 years of entrepreneurship in Romania

Cosmin Măcăneață, founder and Managing Partner of Omega Trust, revealed to us the challenges he faced over the past two decades, as well as the recipe behind Omega Trust’s success.

Congratulations, Cosmin! Omega Trust has recently celebrated 20 years since its founding. How do you feel?

Proud! I can’t believe it! It feels like just yesterday I was at the Trade Register, standing in line to establish the company.

By the way, how was it back then?

I founded the company while I was still a student. I rushed to do it while I was still eligible for a benefit that reduced the registration fees, and since I didn’t have money back then, it mattered to me—even though we’re talking about just a few hundred lei. It just shows that every policy encouraging entrepreneurship matters, no matter how small.

And how have these 20 years been for Omega Trust?

They were difficult, but also beautiful. The entrepreneurial experience helps you grow and learn across many domains. Beyond technical expertise—which is essential for success in a consulting business—you also need to develop in areas such as people management, sales, finance, and soft skills.

What were the biggest challenges you encountered?

It wasn’t easy. I revived the company right during the 2008–2009 crisis (I had suspended it for a few years while working for a multinational), when everyone was telling me I was crazy. It was a tough period—people were being laid off, there were no clients, analysts were predicting an economic apocalypse—but I believed it was the right moment for me. I was younger, but experienced enough, I had no loans or debts, no family or children, so I could take risks that would be harder to take now. What I said back then proved true: if you are truly good, you can find your place in the market under any conditions, because the market never completely disappears in a crisis—it only contracts.

Another ongoing challenge has been the relationship with the state. Unfortunately, Romanian authorities do not support entrepreneurs; on the contrary, they are often a major obstacle through economic and fiscal policies, as well as administrative abuses.

What has been your recipe for success?

To always deliver very high-quality services at a reasonable price. This helped us build a large client base, and recommendations naturally spread from one client to another.

In practice, we never had to invest heavily in marketing because our clients promoted us.

Where are you now after 20 years?

We now have two business divisions: one specialized in cybersecurity consulting and audit, and the other focused on management consulting.

I can say that we are currently one of the market leaders, offering international-level services, with over 800 clients across most industries in more than 16 countries.

We have gained strong market recognition and are among the most appreciated companies in our field.

I know you are also the President of the “Smart Alliance” IT cluster. How do you see the future of the cybersecurity and IT market in general?

The cybersecurity market will certainly continue to grow. I’m glad to see that things have improved, with organizations understanding the need to invest more in cybersecurity—perhaps also due to the geopolitical context and legislative changes, especially from the European Union, such as the NIS Directive, DORA Regulation, GDPR, etc.

From a broader IT and economic perspective, we are witnessing the early stages of a new revolution comparable to the industrial revolution—and I’m referring here to Artificial Intelligence.

Do you think jobs will be replaced by AI?

It will definitely have a huge impact, and many tasks will be partially or fully taken over by AI. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing, as there is a global shortage of workforce.

Finally, what is your advice for Romanian entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs?

My advice is to follow their dreams and not be discouraged by failures or difficulties along the way. It is a long and challenging journey, but also a rewarding one.

Article sourced from www.capital.ro