RE: Why should you invest in platforms?
I agree that platforms are a huge money maker and that we shouldn't just think of blockchain tech in terms of currencies.
That said there are many other novel ideas that are neither currency nor platform.
Golem for shared CPU/GPU usage.
Factom for document auditing, management and compliance.
Storj, Sia and MaidSafe for distributed storage; MaidSafe being the one to watch since it's kind of a platform. For instance the NVO decentralised exchange that CoinMarketCap are advertising. That exchange is built on top of the MaidSafe network. We are reaching a point where networks are being built on top of networks, and it's fantastic!
I guess you could look at these as platforms, or many could evolve into platforms if they release APIs that allow you to build on them, which seems to be the smart way to go.
In any case there are so many possibilities that one shouldn't pigeon hole themselves into thinking it's only currency or platform.
Just like the internet, we have no idea what's capable.
Yes, those are assets but I believe platforms, if well built and developed and havign a fair launch will provide greater ROIs.