Available for projects

I build AI products that grow businesses.

Co-Founder & CEO building AI products that help small businesses grow. I have spent a career at the intersection of technology and revenue, from scaling enterprise teams at Splunk to bootstrapping my own SaaS.

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ARR (WickedFile)
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Customers
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Closed Revenue (Splunk)
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A bit about me

Alex Saladna

I grew up in my dad's auto repair shop. Fixing cars, washing cars, and doing whatever else he could think of. The work was hard and I dreamed of a job with AC, but I loved every second of it. In high school I started building websites for local businesses, and somewhere between grease and code, I realized I wanted to build things for a living. I decided to apply to Southern Methodist University for Computer Engineering. Unfortunately, SMU had other ideas and rejected my application (standardized tests were never a strong suit for me). So I picked up the phone and called the admissions office and told them they made a mistake. I was able to convince them to change their rejection to an acceptance after two months.

After SMU, I joined Splunk as a Sales Engineer, the perfect marriage of building and selling. I eventually moved into management where I built a new team from scratch, hired across North America and Europe, and helped the company scale from $1B to $2B+. Then my dad called with an idea. He had $180,000 stolen by two employees and realized shop owners everywhere had the same blind spot. So we built WickedFile to fix it. Today we help businesses in auto repair, small and large, increase profits and leverage AI to position their business for future success and growth. We have been able to drive as much as $1M of profit back into some of these businesses.

2016
BS Computer Engineering, SMU
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
2022
MBA, Emory University
Goizueta Business School, Atlanta, GA
Now
Based in Atlanta, GA
Cyclist, woodworker, and AI enthusiast. Recently biked the El Camino from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela, over 450 miles across Spain.

What I have built & scaled

From bootstrapping an AI startup to scaling a public company's sales engineering org. Here is where I have made an impact.

Co-Founder & CEO
WickedFile
2021 - Present

Co-Founded an AI-driven platform that helps auto shop owners understand profit-loss and shrinkage in their business. Bootstrapped to 7-figure ARR with 600+ repair shops including Midas, Meineke, and NAPA. Featured in Venture Atlanta's top 10 seed-stage companies (2024). One of the first-ever AI solutions in the auto repair industry.

AI / ML SaaS Bootstrapped Venture Atlanta Top 10
Sr. Sales Engineering Manager
Splunk
2017 - 2021

First SE Manager hired for the Center of Excellence team. Scaled from 0 → 22 members across North America and Europe in 4 months. Assisted in over $50M+ in closed deals across 223 accounts. Co-created the Rapid Adoption Packages announced at the global keynote by the CEO.

Enterprise Team Building $50M+ Revenue President's Club x2

Talks & events

I have had the chance to share insights on AI, SaaS, and the future of the auto repair industry at conferences and events.

Tektonic conference logo
Tektonic - by Tekmetric
Speaking Topic: "Unlock Hidden Profits Without Blowing Up What Already Works." Covering simple audits to spot hidden losses, where profit usually disappears, and how to automate repetitive tasks so more dollars stay in the business.
AutoShop Answers logo
AutoShop Answers
Monthly talk in Houston on how AI is transforming back-office management for auto repair shop owners, from catching vendor mistakes to automating billing gaps.
Venture Atlanta logo
Venture Atlanta
Selected as a Top 10 seed-stage company out of 600 applicants. Presented WickedFile's vision to investors and industry leaders.

Latest thoughts

Writing about AI, building products, and lessons from the trenches of entrepreneurship.

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Let's work together

Have a project in mind? Want to chat about AI, SaaS, or anything else? Drop me a line.