Axiom Trading Platform, Founded by Two 22-Year-Old Students, Surpasses Revenue, Doubling Pump.fun, Thanks to Unique Fee-Sharing Model.
The Axiom trading platform, co-founded by two recent college graduates, has recorded $100 million in revenue in just four months since its beta launch in late January 2025. This figure makes Axiom one of the fastest startups to reach this revenue milestone, far surpassing the meme platform Pump.fun, which took about 8 months in 2024 to reach the same mark.
Axiom was co-founded by two 22-year-old former students who recently graduated from the University of California San Diego: Henry Zhang (nickname "Mist") and Preston Ellis (nickname "Cal"). Both previously worked at TikTok and DoorDash before starting their venture, and were incubated by Y Combinator in the winter 2025 program. The platform allows users to swap tokens on the Solana ecosystem, open perpetual futures on Hyperliquid, and track live data from blockchain or X social media.
Axiom's standout feature is its unique revenue-sharing model, with most transaction fees being returned to top traders as rewards. Users start at the "Wood" level with a 0.95% fee and 0.05% reward in SOL, and can upgrade to the "Champion" level with reduced fees of 0.75% and increased rewards of 0.25% SOL. According to data from dune analytics, Axiom has returned up to 43% of total transaction fees to users as of the beginning of this month.
The "Silent" Strategy and Ecosystem Expansion
Unlike many crypto startups fond of media attention, the two founders are quite reserved on X, updating information sparingly. The duo is advised by Jordan "Cobie" Fish, a highly influential figure in the crypto industry, who advised them against heavy marketing through influencers – a rare decision in a context where many Web3 projects heavily rely on KOLs.
The platform also allows users to leverage idle funds to generate yield through a partnership with MarginFi, and is about to launch native SOL Staking through Jito. Axiom currently has no plans to issue its own Token, but users can accumulate Axiom points through trading and referrals. The company is planning to expand to other blockchain ecosystems beyond Solana and Hyperliquid, though no specific roadmap has been announced, demonstrating a cautious approach focused more on the product than on hype.
