Solana AI token Ava AI (AVA) has reportedly rallied 40% at launch.
Bubble maps have pointed to coordinated Ava AI purchases as suspicious activity. 23 wallets, linked to the Ava AI deployer, bought 40% of the tokens at launch. AVA's price is down 96% from its January 2025 all-time high.
After Solana-based AI token Ava AI (AVA) was revealed by blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps, it revealed that nearly half of the token's initial supply may have been obtained through small wallets associated with the project's deployment.
The findings suggest internal coordination at the start of the token, raising questions about the fairness and decentralization of the initial distribution.
Combined purchase at launch
According to Bubblemaps, 23 wallets, including the deployer, were newly funded on memecoin startup platform Pump.fun prior to the launch of the AVA.
These wallets, supported by Bitget and Binance in narrow time windows, received the same amount of Solana (SOL) and did not show any blockchain activity before receiving AVA.
Bubblemaps describes this as a classic example of “sniping,” where crypto trading bots buy tokens immediately upon public release to gain a price advantage over ordinary investors.
Further analysis showed that these wallets were linked to other accounts that had already purchased AVA.
Similarity in funding sources, timing and purchase volume strongly suggests coordination across multiple wallet collections.
Bubble maps highlighted the need for ongoing monitoring of early token distribution to identify suspicious behavior, suggesting that much of this activity went unnoticed at the time.
Implications for investors
The news of early wallet coordination sparked discussions among investors and analysts.
Some, like Twitter user ScoutOnchain, argue that speculative buying and FOMO are intrinsic to new crypto trends, while others focus on the need for more accessible analytical tools to help investors spot suspicious activity.
The nearly 40% AVA supply stock in small wallets has significant implications for retail investors.
A large supply held by a few parties can increase the risk of price manipulation or carpet dragging, where insiders dump their holdings and cause the token's value to fall.
AVA's price survey appears to reflect these risks.
After reaching an all-time high of $0.3318 on January 15, 2025, the token has fallen roughly 96% from that peak, currently trading at $0.01062 with a market capitalization of $10.6 million.
The 24-hour trading range currently sits between $0.01043 and $0.01143, while the seven-day range fluctuates between $0.008029 and $0.01371.
Although reduced from the maximum, the token's distribution supply is the same as its total supply of about 999 million AVA, with a maximum supply of 1 billion.
Bubble Maps promises to track early token activity and provide insights to the community, demonstrating an ongoing effort to bring transparency to new startups.
