Solana Surges to Top Spot in $10K Experiment, Beating AI ETFs and Meme Stocks
The $10K experiment is a fascinating study that compares returns across various assets, including cryptocurrency, stocks, ETFs, and collectibles. MarketWise analyzed 21 different assets from January 2021 through April 2026 to see how they would have performed if $10,000 was invested in each one.
The results show that Solana outperformed all other assets with a return of +3,476%, turning the initial investment into $357,628. In contrast, Bed Bath & Beyond investors were wiped out entirely, with their asset returning -100% over the same period.
Other notable performers include sealed Pokémon box (+1,750%), Silver (+190%), and Travis Scott x Fragment Air Jordan 1 sneakers (+916%). However, AI ETFs (ARKK, BOTZ, AIQ) returned only +28%, underperforming the S&P 500 by 79 percentage points.
The study also highlights the importance of timing in investing. Dogecoin buyers who invested in January 2021 had a much better outcome than those who bought at its peak in May 2021, with returns of $101,920 and $1,454 respectively.