Behind some of the biggest token launches of the past year — from Trump’s $TRUMP coin to the recent Kanye West’s $YZY, to the collapse of $LIBRA and this week’s launch of $WLFI — the same insider names keep popping up.
In this episode, Bubblemaps CEO Nicolas Vaiman explains how figures like Hayden Davis of Kelsier Ventures, celebrity promoter Sahil Arora, Naseem, and even Justin Sun have profited from chaotic launches.
We dig into the mechanics of insider “snipes,” one-sided LPs that hide selling, and why celebrity and political tokens so often collapse right after launch.
Finally, Nick asks: if “no one is coming to save us,” what real protections can the industry build?
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Guest:
Links:
Timestamps:
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⏱ 0:00 Introduction
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🔍 0:56 How Nick verified Trump’s memecoin was legit but Melania’s looked fishy, and how that led to Hayden Davis
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🕵️ 8:00 What role Davis played in other shady memecoin launches
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🎤 10:51 How Davis was tied to Kanye West’s $YZY token
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⚡ 15:48 How sophisticated snipers find tokens onchain before everyone else
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❓ 21:28 How Davis recovered frozen funds, and does this mean “crime is legal” in crypto?
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👑 27:16 Why do celebrity memecoins almost always collapse
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🎯 31:30 How are snipers plaguing the industry
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😈 37:14 What tactics has Sahil Arora, the “crypto villain,” been accused of
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🛠 40:51 How should the industry respond to these kinds of token launches
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📈 46:07 How Justin Sun made a 10x on WLFI
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👨💻 49:27 What’s Nick’s background and why he created Bubblemaps
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🔮 53:32 How Bubblemaps plans to stand out from competitors
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