Case study 001 / Following the money

How did this guy turn $87 into $3 million?

And it's still growing.

Updated Sep 15 20264 min read

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The $87 ticket

Let us introduce you to Mr. A. That's what we call him, because nobody knows his name. On June 18, 2026, a brand-new meme coin appeared on Robinhood's new blockchain. It was called Cash Cat, and twenty-six minutes after it was born, Mr. A put in $87. That's less than dinner for two.

Then it started. By day 12, his $87 was worth $13,000. On day 13 it was $122,000, and on day 20 it was $1.9 million. On day 24, that little ticket was worth $3.8 million.

Figure 1

$87Day 0

$13KDay 12

$122KDay 13

$1.9MDay 20

$3.8MDay 24

−74%6 days later

What one $87 ticket was worth, day by day.

Then the coin crashed, three quarters gone in six days. Most people would run, but Mr. A bought more. Along the way he cashed out close to $900,000, and today his total stands at about $3.15 million. From $87.

What his $87 ticket was worth from June 18 to September 15 2026: up to $3.8 million, a 74% crash, back to about $3 million — Figure 2The ride: from $87 to $3.8 million, a 74% crash, and back to about $3 million.

So here's the question we couldn't let go of. How did he do it? Was he just lucky, or did he know something? We followed the money to find out.

Let's go back to June 16

To understand what Mr. A did, we have to rewind to June 16, 2026. Four names matter in this story, so let's meet them first.

Robinhood, you probably know. It's the stock trading app. In 2026 it was building its own blockchain, and the grand opening was set for July 1. What almost nobody knew was that the chain was already quietly running.

NOXA is a small website where anyone can create a meme coin in a few seconds. It likes to show up early on brand-new chains, and on June 16 it opened on Robinhood's.

Mr. A is our anonymous wallet, and here's the first surprise. That $87 was not all he had. He started with about $5,100 and spread it across lots of tiny bets on brand-new coins.

And Cash Cat is the joke coin that won. On June 16 it didn't even exist yet. It was born on NOXA two days later.

Figure 3

RRobinhoodThe stock appIts blockchain opens to the public on July 1. It is already running quietly.

NNOXAMeme coin makerAnyone can launch a coin in seconds. Opens on Robinhood's chain June 16.

AMr. AAnonymous walletAbout $5,100, spread over many tiny bets on new coins.

CCash CatThe joke coinDoesn't exist yet. Born on NOXA on June 18.

The four players on June 16, 2026.

So here's how it played out. While the rest of us had no idea the chain was open, Mr. A was already inside. The moment NOXA opened, he started buying small pieces of the very first coins. Two days later Cash Cat appeared, and he bought his $87 ticket.

Then he waited. After the public launch on July 1 the crowd rushed in, and he sold part of his coins in small slices. Later he bought some back. Today his wallets are worth about $3.15 million.

Figure 4

Jun 16Inside the chain, first tiny bets

Jun 18$87 into Cash Cat

Jul 1Public launch, the crowd arrives

Jul 8–10Sells some, ≈$866K

Jul 17Buys some back

Today≈$3.15M in total

Mr. A's moves, from the day he got in to today.

Five questions

Put like that, it sounds simple. But when we looked closer, the story raised five questions, and every answer led somewhere more interesting.

Question 1How did he know the chain was open?

No news site had written a word. So we checked the clock. The first public post about the chain went up on X at 14:41. Mr. A was already trying to get in at 14:34, seven minutes earlier. He didn't read about it anywhere. Someone told him.

Figure 5

All on June 16, 2026 · UTC

Jun 16 · 11:24

A small unofficial website opens a side door into the hidden chain

Jun 16 · 12:02

The friend goes through

Jun 16 · 14:34

Mr. A tries the side door

7 minutes

Jun 16 · 14:41

The first public post about the chain, on X

Jul 1

Two weeks later: official public launch, news everywhere

Everything above happened on one afternoon, June 16, 2026. Mr. A was trying to get in before the first public post.

Question 2How did he get his money in?

There was no official way yet, only a small unofficial website that a few hundred people were passing around. His first three tries failed. That night, a wallet we call the friend sent him 1 ETH, right on the hidden chain.

Question 3How did he connect his wallet?

Robinhood hadn't published the settings. NOXA's own website came with them built in.

Question 4How did he find the new coins?

They all came out of one place. Thirteen of his fourteen early coins were made on NOXA.

Question 5Why Cash Cat, and was he an insider?

We checked every money link to Robinhood, to NOXA and to the side-door website, and found nothing. But one line did connect. The friend has a partner wallet, and that partner gave the Cash Cat creator its very first money, one day before Cash Cat was born. Mr. A wasn't an insider. He was one step away from one.

Figure 6

Jun 16The friend→Mr. A

1 ETH to get started

Jun 17Friend's partner→Cash Cat creator

Its very first money

Jun 17Cash Cat creator→The friend

0.6 ETH

Jun 18Cash Cat creator→Cash Cat

Launches the coin

Jun 18Mr. A→Cash Cat

Buys $87, 26 minutes later

The friend and the partner also send each other ETH.

✕ No link to Robinhood✕ No link to NOXA✕ No link to the side-door website

The money trail. The friend's partner funded the wallet that created Cash Cat, the friend got Mr. A started, and Mr. A bought Cash Cat 26 minutes after launch.

Could we do it too?

Which brings us to the question that matters most to us. If we had been standing where Mr. A stood in June, could we have got in before the crowd, and turned a small ticket into $3 million too? With less than $20 a month? With less than $200?

We tested both against the real dates, with the exact sites, tools and prices. That answer is in Parts 3 and 4 of the full case study. Parts 1 and 2 are free to read right below.

The full case study · 18 pages