Nom BONK is a Solana developer, decentralized journalist, and the co-founder of the BONK meme coin. He has been an active figure in the Solana ecosystem since February 2021, gaining recognition for his roles in community leadership and for guiding the development of Bonk following the collapse of the FTX exchange in late 2022. He is also known by the pseudonyms Nom Bark and sometimes referred to as Nam. ^[1]

Career

Nom is a Solana developer and decentralized journalist who has been active in the ecosystem since February 2021, building a reputation through early community involvement and leadership roles, including helping grow Monkey DAO around the Solana Monkey Business NFT project. Following the collapse of FTX in late 2022, he co-founded Bonk as a morale-boosting memecoin designed to revive liquidity and engagement across the Solana ecosystem, launching it on December 25 as a symbolic “Christmas gift” to the community. Under his guidance, Bonk prioritized deep ecosystem integration, expanding from 40 initial partnerships to roughly 350 active integrations with consistent user activity. Nom emphasizes that sustainable growth in crypto depends on strong user experience, compelling products, and marketing beyond existing crypto audiences rather than speculation alone. He advocates experimentation, iteration, and learning from industries such as gaming and social media to drive mainstream adoption. Through initiatives such as Bonkmark, which simplifies wallet creation via email, Nom continues working to lower onboarding barriers and strengthen Solana’s global community. ^[4]

Interviews

BONK

In a June 2025 interview at Accelerate NYC, Nom discussed the atmosphere of the event and the broader activity surrounding the Web3 community, noting the presence of international participants attending related gatherings in the city. He outlined plans for the following six months, including the release of new games and consumer products intended to integrate Bonk into everyday use. Nom described the development of a mobile-focused game in collaboration with an existing Solana team to expand user engagement. He also referenced efforts to increase Bonk’s participation in decentralized finance through products such as liquid staking tokens. Additional initiatives included expanding merchandise offerings and supporting community-driven and charitable activities, particularly those related to animal welfare. Nom mentioned that an application for a Bonk exchange-traded fund had been submitted and that preliminary feedback from regulators had been positive. He concluded by reiterating the importance of community involvement and ongoing project development. ^[3]

Redefining Memecoin Success

In an April 2025 appearance on the CMO Weekly podcast, Nom shared his background and the evolution of BONK. He traced his early exposure to crypto to trading in-game currencies in 2014, with deeper involvement beginning around 2017 before moving into the Solana ecosystem in 2021. Nom explained that Bonk was inspired by a friend’s dog and launched using meme-driven marketing during a market downturn, starting with a free airdrop that helped spark rapid adoption. He emphasized the importance of community, noting that Bonk grew to more than 520 active integrations by targeting NFT holders, developers, traders, and artists. Nom discussed efforts to reduce unused token supply, expand awareness, and funnel revenue back into projects building with Bonk to support long-term sustainability. Looking ahead, he outlined ambitions to navigate regulatory challenges and even explore the possibility of a future U.S. ETF. He closed by stressing the importance of persistence and experimentation in startups, while sharing personal goals focused on fostering dogs, investing, and maintaining balance outside of crypto. ^[2]

Saving Solana

In a January 2025 interview with Decrypt, Nom discussed the origins and impact of the memecoin Bonk, which emerged after the FTX collapse to help restore confidence in the Solana ecosystem. He explained that the project launched with a large Christmas 2022 airdrop during a slow period to drive on-chain activity and encourage user participation. Bonk quickly became a focal point for community building, improving sentiment, and enabling developers and artists to collaborate more actively within the ecosystem. Nom noted that the token became one of the most used assets on Solana, behind only SOL and USDC, helping spark broader project engagement. He also reflected on Bonk’s cultural influence, describing how it reshaped meme culture and community interaction in crypto. Beyond digital initiatives, the team organized real-world events and even set a world record by walking 38 rescue dogs to raise awareness of charitable causes. Nom concluded that memecoins like Bonk continue to play an important role in attracting users and experimenting with new forms of blockchain engagement. ^[6]

Solana Back From the Dead

In a June 2024 with Midcurve, Nom discussed Bonk and its interaction with Solana. Bonk is a memecoin launched on the Solana blockchain on December 25, 2022, created in response to the FTX collapse to restore energy, liquidity, and community confidence within the ecosystem. Since launch, it has expanded from 40 initial integrations to roughly 350 active partnerships, with tools like Bonk Bot processing more trading volume than many Layer 1 blockchains, while the team has also branched into charitable efforts, merchandising, and brand building. Nom argues that long-term growth for Solana depends on moving beyond surface metrics and instead building compelling, easy-to-use products inspired by gaming and mobile apps, supported by better marketing and continuous experimentation. He views traditional finance players such as PayPal, Visa, and Stripe entering crypto as validation of the industry’s potential and a step toward mainstream adoption. Nom also highlights blockchain gaming as a major opportunity, suggesting the most successful games will prioritize fun gameplay while keeping crypto in the background. Through initiatives like Bonkmark, which enables wallet creation using only an email address, he aims to simplify onboarding and lower barriers for new users. Throughout, Nom emphasizes that Solana’s strong community culture is central to its resilience, while stressing the importance of balancing technical innovation with accessible, user-friendly experiences driven by feedback and real-world utility. ^[7]