Founder Of The Week: Alexandra Ion

• Alexandra Ion is the founder of Laexa Digital, an international digital marketplace and AI-powered business platform she built without a traditional technology background, having previously worked as a nail technician.
• She created Laexa Digital to help independent creators and entrepreneurs sell digital products affordably, expanding the platform to include AI tools such as Flow Post for social media management and Brainy, a personal AI assistant.
• Alexandra taught herself to build websites and software using AI coding tools, turning her ambition into a business while learning to navigate the challenges of product development, customer adoption and earning trust.
• Her long-term vision is to make advanced digital tools accessible to entrepreneurs and develop Laexa AI Hosting, enabling businesses to create and offer AI agents without having to build the underlying technology themselves.

Tell Me About Yourself and Laexa Digital

My name is Alexandra Ion. I’m the founder of Laexa Digital, a platform I built without a traditional background in technology.

A little over a year ago, my professional world revolved around nail appointments, beauty products, and working directly with clients.

Today, I’m building an international digital marketplace and AI-powered tools for entrepreneurs.

Laexa Digital brings together a marketplace for digital products, affordable subscriptions for creators, and AI solutions such as Flow Post, for social media management and Brainy, a personal AI assistant.

I built the platform using AI coding tools, learning as I went. I’m still a nail technician, but I’m also someone who discovered that her ambitions could extend far beyond the career she started with.

What Inspired You To Start Laexa Digital, and What Problem Were You Trying To Solve?

My journey started when I began creating digital products for the beauty industry. I discovered how difficult and expensive it could be for independent creators to establish an online business, especially when they were just starting out.

I wanted to build a place where people could sell their digital products without needing a large budget or technical knowledge.

But as I worked on Laexa, I realised entrepreneurs needed more than somewhere to sell. They also needed help managing their time, marketing their businesses, and handling repetitive tasks.

That’s how my vision expanded from a digital marketplace into an ecosystem of accessible AI-powered business tools.

What Has Been Your Biggest Challenge So Far, and How Did You Overcome It?

My biggest challenge wasn’t learning to code or solving technical problems. It was experiencing a disappointment I never saw coming, from someone whose support meant a great deal to me.

A mentor who had taught me marketing and how to promote myself discovered that I was building Laexa Digital. Without me asking for anything, she offered to support my project and bring her community of entrepreneurs onto my platform.

She told me she would rather support a Romanian entrepreneur from her own community than continue relying on a foreign platform, especially when Laexa offered a more affordable alternative.

I can’t describe how much that meant to me. After countless hours of work, sacrifices, and sleepless nights, someone I respected was finally saying, “I believe in what you’re building, and I want to help.”

But things didn’t turn out that way.

Most of the community preferred to stay with StanStore, the platform they already knew. Very few people even logged into Laexa to explore it properly. About a month later, my mentor told me they found my platform difficult to use and were more comfortable staying where they were. She ultimately agreed with them.

And that was the part that broke my heart.

Not because they chose a competitor. I understand that people have preferences. But because something I had worked so hard to create was being judged by people who hadn’t really given it a chance.

I cried. A lot. I felt disappointed, discouraged, and, for a moment, completely defeated. I genuinely considered giving up.

But I eventually realised that creating something valuable doesn’t guarantee that people will immediately embrace it. Familiarity is powerful, and even a more affordable alternative can struggle against established habits.

That experience taught me a difficult lesson: I cannot build my future around other people’s promises, no matter how sincere they may seem.

I have to build something that earns trust through its own value, one customer at a time.

And despite everything, I’m still here, still building.

Can You Describe a Pivotal Moment That Significantly Shaped the Direction of Laexa Digital?

The defining moment was walking away from BeautyBrain.ro, the first website I had built entirely on my own.

It was deeply personal to me. I could have expanded it into a marketplace and added AI tools, but I wanted to build something for an international audience. I worried that a Romania-specific domain would make it harder to establish trust and recognition abroad.

Leaving BeautyBrain behind wasn’t easy. I had invested so much of myself in it.

But I realised that sometimes growing means letting go of something you love to make room for something bigger.

That decision became Laexa Digital.

How Do You Define Success?

For your business: I believe the foundation of every successful business is satisfied customers. Revenue and growth matter, of course, but numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. For me, real success begins when people genuinely appreciate what you’ve created, speak positively about their experience, and, most importantly, recommend your business to others. When someone recommends your product without being asked, that’s more than a sale. It’s a sign that you’ve earned their trust.

As a founder: I would consider myself a successful founder when my ambition, determination, and the quality of my work earn genuine respect and recognition. But perhaps the most meaningful measure of success would be becoming someone others actively seek out for collaborations. I don’t simply want people to know my name. I want them to see what I’ve built, recognise its value, and genuinely want to work with me. Because when people actively seek you out as a collaborator, it means you’ve built more than a business. You’ve built a reputation that makes others want to be part of what you do.

What Advice Would You Give To Someone Thinking About Launching Their Own Startup?

Don’t wait until you feel qualified enough to begin.

When I started building websites, I didn’t know how to code. I didn’t have a technical team, investors, or a roadmap telling me exactly what to do. I had curiosity, determination, and a willingness to spend hours figuring things out.

I made mistakes, broke things, rebuilt them, and learned along the way.

But I’d also tell new founders something I wish I’d understood earlier: don’t confuse encouragement with commitment. People may love your idea without ever becoming customers.

Build because you believe in the problem you’re solving, not because you’re waiting for everyone else to believe in you first.

What’s Next for Laexa Digital? Any Exciting Developments We Should Watch Out For?

My biggest upcoming project is Laexa AI Hosting.

The idea is to give entrepreneurs the infrastructure to create, train, and offer AI agents to businesses, without having to build the underlying technology themselves.

These agents are intended to support tasks such as customer relationship management, document generation, business analysis, and workflow automation.

Alongside that, I’m continuing to develop Brainy and Flow Post, improving the tools already available on Laexa Digital.

My long-term vision is to make sophisticated digital business tools accessible to people who may have the ambition to build something extraordinary but not the resources of a large company.

Want to be featured as TechRound’s Founder of the Week? Find out more about this weekly feature and how to get involved here.

Founder’s 5 with Alexandra Ion

We wanted to know a bit more about the woman behind Laexa Digital, so we’ve put together the exclusive Founders’ 5 with Alexandra Ion.

Favourite business tool

Claude Code and OpenAI Codex. I use them to build, troubleshoot, and improve Laexa Digital. They’ve allowed me to turn ideas into working software despite not having a traditional programming background.

One lesson you learned the hard way?

Never build your expectations around promises of support. Someone can genuinely admire what you’re creating and still never become a customer. Real validation comes from people who actually use and value your product.

One future trend you’re watching?

Never build your expectations around promises of support. Someone can genuinely admire what you’re creating and still never become a customer. Real validation comes from people who actually use and value your product.

One quote you live by

“You don’t have to know how to do something before you start. You have to be willing to learn.”

One book/podcast you recommend

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
It’s been my favourite book since I was a teenager. I’ve always been fascinated by human psychology, motivation, and the decisions people make. It’s not a traditional business book, but it reminds me how important it is to understand people, especially when you’re building something for them.

Want to be featured as TechRound’s Founder of the Week? Know someone who deserves to be recognised as a founder making waves in the startup landscape? Find out more about this weekly feature and how to get involved here.