From Hopes, Dreams, and Duct Tape to Global Enterprise Tech: Sladen Moses on Scaling Lexin Solutions and Mastering Market Credibility
In this episode of That's Audacious, host Lauren Clemett sits down with Sladen Moses, co-founder and CEO of Lexin Solutions, to discuss how an unlikely trio took a makeshift consulting tool and transformed it into an enterprise SaaS and agentic AI platform solving a global multi-billion-dollar supply chain crisis.
Lexin Solutions targets a massive, often overlooked challenge in heavy asset-intensive sectors such as mining, oil and gas, bulk chemicals, and heavy manufacturing: managing indirect materials and spare parts. As Sladen explains, if an essential part is unavailable when equipment fails, unplanned asset downtime can cost operations anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of millions of dollars per hour in lost production. With the global spare parts market projected to surpass one trillion dollars by 2032 and no single vendor holding even 10% market share, Sladen and his co-founders recognised an extraordinary opportunity to build an industry-defining solution.
The company began four and a half years ago as a consulting firm based in what Sladen affectionately calls "Tim's treehouse". At the time, their solution was cobbled together using Excel spreadsheets, Power BI, macros, data scripts, and in Sladen's words, "hopes, dreams, and duct tape". Realising spreadsheets could never scale into enterprise software, the founders rebuilt the product into a low-code platform before taking the leap on 1 January 2025 to launch a full-stack enterprise platform called MiLi.
Built "for industry, by industry," MiLi reflects the direct front-line experience of operational leaders who spent decades running maintenance and supply chains without adequate IT budgets. Rather than forcing clients into heavy, all-at-once software rollouts, Lexin introduced MiLi Light - a four-week pilot program that ingests client data to immediately flag financial exposure and operational wins, ensuring tangible and measurable value from day one.
Key Insights from Sladen Moses:
Sladen also shared candid leadership lessons from the startup trenches, warning founders against being completely consumed by the fire drills of the day. Reflecting on what he would tell his younger self, Sladen noted that "sleep and exercise are key," but more importantly, leaders must learn to celebrate progress along the way.
"Too often as leaders and founders, we get stuck in the problems we're fixing now... when we don't really take stock quite often, breathe, and say, 'We've done really well getting to this point,'" Sladen shared. "Enjoying the journey is just as important as getting to the destination. Make strong partnerships right at the start - like we have with Audacious - so you have someone that is growing with you and enjoying that journey alongside you."
This episode is a must-listen for tech founders, supply chain leaders, and enterprise innovators looking to turn industry domain expertise into scalable, globally recognised solutions.
Tune in to That's Audacious to hear the full conversation and discover how Lexin Solutions is pioneering the future of heavy industry asset management.
Connect with Sladen Moses and Lexin Solutions:
