What happens when a meme coin project's founder vanishes overnight? For most crypto projects, that's a death sentence, but not for Shitcoin. In this fascinating conversation with Ajay, we explore the remarkable story of a community that refused to die.
AJ shares his journey from being burned in meme projects to leading a community takeover of Shitcoin after the original developer abandoned it. He explains how transparency and community-building have been key to their revival and continued growth.
• Started in video games recruitment for 25 years before entering crypto about 8-10 years ago
• Got heavily burned in meme coins in January before finding Shitcoin, a project with a doxxed founder
• Led a community takeover when the original developer disappeared, rebuilding from a $40-50K market cap back to $150K
• Believes in the formula: followers convert to holders, holders create volume, volume builds market cap
• Sees huge growth potential in the meme space compared to the broader crypto market
• Predicts an explosion of AI-generated content in meme projects
• Emphasizes the importance of having real faces and names behind projects
• Advocates for ethical, community-driven approaches rather than pump and dump schemes
From Gaming Recruiter to Crypto Community Leader: Ajay's Journey in Building Authentic Meme Coin Communities
AJ's story begins far from the world of meme coins and crypto, rooted in a 25-year career in the video game industry where he discovered his true passion: working with people. As a recruiter in the gaming space, he developed an intuitive understanding of community building and the power of authentic human connections. "I love working with people and that's my passion," AJ explains, emphasizing his preference for direct communication over digital interaction. "Call me, do a video call. I'm not a texting person." This personal approach to relationship building would later become the cornerstone of his philosophy in the crypto space.
His transition into cryptocurrency followed a traditional path initially, starting with Bitcoin and Ethereum about eight to ten years ago before exploring altcoins and retail-focused tokens. However, it was his fascination with the meme coin space that marked a turning point in his crypto journey. Unlike many who dive headfirst into new opportunities, AJ approached meme coins with both excitement and caution, recognizing the volatile and often treacherous nature of this emerging sector. "It's a very delicate space to step into, right, with the fear of being ripped up. It's fast moving, it's quick," he reflects on his initial hesitation.
The reality of meme coin investing hit hard when AJ made his first significant move into the space in January, getting "heavily burned" on a project called Vine Coin. Rather than retreat, this experience became a crucial learning moment that shaped his understanding of what truly matters in the meme coin ecosystem. Through this painful lesson, he discovered the paramount importance of community in meme projects, far exceeding what he had observed in traditional crypto investments. The loss also highlighted the critical role of transparent leadership – the "frontman or docs dev" – in determining a project's success or failure.
This early setback crystallized AJ's vision for what crypto projects should represent: authentic, community-driven initiatives led by real people with genuine commitment. His philosophy centers on the belief that successful projects must be "driven by passion" rather than mere profit motives. "We're all here to make profits, but I want to do it ethically," he states, drawing a clear line between legitimate community building and the pump-and-dump schemes that plague the meme coin space. His approach rejects the anonymous, faceless leadership that characterizes 99% of meme projects, instead advocating for transparency, accountability, and long-term vision.
The foundation of AJ's methodology rests on a simple but powerful progression: followers convert to holders, holders generate volume, and volume translates to market cap. However, he emphasizes that each step must be built deliberately and authentically. "You can't jump from trying to build an audience to trying to increase that price without doing all the hard work, without being in the trenches, without assuring your community that this is real," he explains. This patient, methodical approach to community building reflects his understanding that sustainable success in the meme coin space requires more than viral marketing – it demands genuine commitment to the people who believe in the project.
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The Challenge and Solution - The Shitcoin Story
After his early setbacks in the meme coin space, AJ discovered what seemed like the perfect project: Shitcoin, led by an individual named James who broke every convention of anonymous crypto leadership. Unlike the vast majority of meme projects that hide behind pseudonyms and cartoon avatars, James put his real face, real name, and actual location behind the project. "Videos of him in person," AJ recalls, describing what initially attracted him to the project. This unprecedented transparency in the meme space created something powerful – "a massive, massive audience" that propelled the project from launch to an extraordinary 6.2 million dollar market cap.
The rapid ascent of Shitcoin under James's leadership represented everything AJ believed a meme project could be: authentic leadership, transparent communication, and genuine community engagement. The project's meteoric rise validated AJ's thesis that real faces and names create real value in a space saturated with anonymous developers and pump-and-dump schemes. Recognizing the unique opportunity this represented, AJ became determined to get involved, reaching out persistently across multiple platforms. "I reached out to this individual, I've pestered him on every platform possible," he remembers, demonstrating the same relentless approach that would later define his community-building philosophy.
When James finally responded and invited AJ into the project's spaces, the connection was immediate and powerful. AJ's energy and authenticity resonated strongly with the existing community members, who began reaching out individually to express how his presence had influenced their investment decisions. "I get individual messages from people from the community like, 'wow, I only bought into this project because of you, not because of James,'" he recalls. This organic community response highlighted AJ's natural ability to build genuine relationships and trust within the crypto space, skills honed through decades of working with people in the gaming industry.
However, the project's success story took a devastating turn that would test everything AJ had learned about community resilience. On what seemed like an ordinary Friday afternoon, James abruptly shut down the project's Twitter account, closed the website, and disconnected all communication channels before disappearing entirely. The price collapsed as the community watched their investment evaporate, dropping from the millions to a devastating low of 40,000-50,000 market cap. This sudden abandonment represented the exact type of rug pull that destroys trust and shatters communities throughout the meme coin ecosystem.
Rather than accept defeat, the community demonstrated something remarkable that AJ had never witnessed before in crypto. Instead of dispersing and moving on to the next project, the holders came together the following day for an emergency community space where they collectively decided to attempt something unprecedented: a complete community takeover. "They elevated me and wanted me to do the community takeover," AJ explains, describing how the community recognized his authentic leadership qualities and passion for the project. This moment marked the beginning of AJ's transformation from community member to project leader, taking on the responsibility of rebuilding something that many would have considered irreparably damaged.
The community takeover became a masterclass in authentic leadership and genuine commitment to project values. Working with a small dedicated team of community members who shared his vision for ethical crypto projects, AJ focused entirely on rebuilding trust and demonstrating that Shitcoin represented something different in the meme space. Rather than promising unrealistic returns or engaging in typical crypto marketing tactics, he concentrated on consistent communication and transparent operations. The results spoke to the power of authentic community engagement: "We bought that price back up again or the market cap back up again from around 40, 50,000, where I think we went to 200,000."
This remarkable recovery story illustrates AJ's core belief that successful meme projects must be built on genuine human connections rather than speculation and hype. The community's decision to send him to conferences like NFCsummit, despite operating with a relatively modest market cap of around 150,000 dollars, demonstrates the depth of trust and commitment he has fostered. "We're a 100,000 something market cap project, and there aren't many of those around here at meme space," he notes with pride, emphasizing that community strength cannot be measured solely in dollar terms. The Shitcoin revival proves that when projects prioritize authentic leadership and real commitment over quick profits, communities can overcome even the most devastating setbacks and emerge stronger than before.
The Success Metrics and Philosophy
The true measure of Shitcoin's success under AJ's leadership extends far beyond traditional market metrics, embodying a revolutionary approach to community-driven cryptocurrency projects. Currently operating at approximately 150,000 dollar market cap, the project demonstrates that authentic value creation transcends simple price appreciation. Despite the challenging market conditions and limited liquidity that characterize the broader meme coin landscape, Sheitcoin has achieved something far more valuable: a genuinely resilient community that chose to stay together and grow stronger after experiencing devastating abandonment by their original leader. This community cohesion represents the kind of lasting value that AJ believes separates legitimate projects from the endless cycle of pump-and-dump schemes that plague the space.
The community's decision to invest in AJ's conference attendance and speaking engagements illustrates their understanding that sustainable growth requires genuine networking and relationship building beyond the typical crypto marketing tactics. At conferences like NFCsummit, AJ has been able to connect with like-minded individuals who share his vision for ethical project development, creating cross-community relationships that strengthen the entire ecosystem. "I have met those people. There are others that genuinely want to run projects with ethics," he reflects on these networking opportunities. These connections have validated his approach and provided inspiration for future development, including insights from successful projects like Bananas and innovative concepts like predictive gaming that could enhance Shitcoin's value proposition.
Central to AJ's philosophy and methodology is what he calls the "99 no's and 1 yes" principle, a concept that embodies his approach to both sales and community building. Drawing from his experience selling encyclopedias door-to-door in Nashville, AJ learned that persistence and genuine belief in your product can overcome seemingly insurmountable rejection. "There are times when a no is a no and you'll know it," he explains, "but it's really important when you're selling something, when you're pitching something, when you really have conviction in the product that you stand behind and you know it's going to make somebody's life better, that you ignore those no's because you know you're helping them out." This philosophy extends beyond simple sales tactics to represent a fundamental approach to building authentic relationships in the crypto space, where trust and conviction matter more than quick conversions.
The practical application of this persistence-based philosophy has yielded remarkable results in community engagement and retention. Rather than focusing on short-term price movements or speculative trading, AJ emphasizes the importance of consistent, authentic communication with community members. His approach centers on the belief that genuine relationships create lasting value, and that community members who feel heard and valued will naturally become strong advocates for the project. This methodology has proven particularly effective in the volatile meme coin sector, where communities often fragment at the first sign of difficulty. The fact that Sheitcoin's community not only survived but actively chose to rebuild after their founder's abandonment demonstrates the power of authentic leadership and genuine commitment to community welfare.
Looking toward the future, AJ's roadmap for Shitcoin emphasizes sustainable, methodical development rather than the rushed feature launches that characterize many meme projects. Drawing inspiration from successful projects like Floki, which has diversified beyond simple tokenomics to include games, educational initiatives, and comprehensive ecosystem development, AJ envisions a gradual expansion of Shitcoin's capabilities. His gaming industry background provides unique insights into community engagement and user experience design, positioning the project to integrate gaming elements and predictive features that create genuine utility beyond speculation. "Baby steps, right? I see a lot of projects trying to do everything all at once. It doesn't work. Pick something, do it right. Move on to the next one," he emphasizes, outlining a disciplined approach to feature development that prioritizes quality over speed.
The broader vision that AJ represents extends beyond individual project success to encompass a fundamental reimagining of what meme coins can achieve as community-building tools. Rather than viewing these projects as purely financial vehicles, he sees them as mechanisms for bringing together like-minded individuals around shared passions and interests. "If I want a community around the love of glass bottles, I can build one," he explains, illustrating how meme coins can serve as rallying points for niche communities that might otherwise never connect. This perspective transforms the entire meme coin ecosystem from a casino-like environment focused on rapid speculation into a platform for genuine human connection and shared value creation.
AJ's success story with Shitcoin ultimately represents a testimonial to the power of authentic leadership and community-first thinking in cryptocurrency projects. His journey from burned investor to respected community leader demonstrates that genuine value creation requires more than technical knowledge or marketing prowess – it demands real commitment to the people who believe in your vision. "This is about community. It has to be driven by people," he states, encapsulating the philosophy that has transformed a failed project into a thriving example of ethical crypto development. For anyone considering involvement in the meme coin space, AJ's approach offers a blueprint for building sustainable, community-driven projects that create lasting value for all participants.
Ajay Babber and me at NFC Summit / MEMECON in Lisbon