Cardano Creator Touts ADA as a Smarter Investment Than Bitcoin Based on Growth

Charles Hoskinson, the mind behind Cardano, recently made waves in the crypto community by declaring that ADA represents a far superior investment opportunity compared to Bitcoin. During a conversation with Blockworks co-founder Jason Yanowitz, Hoskinson backed up his bold statement with compelling historical performance data.

The numbers tell an interesting story. Over the past twelve months, ADA has climbed an impressive 91%, while Bitcoin managed a respectable but lower 71% gain. This pattern of outperformance isn’t just a recent phenomenon—it’s been consistent since Cardano’s inception.

FACT 🔥🔥

" $ADA CAN OUTPERFORM $BTC. $ADA CAN DO 100 to 1000X BUT $BTC CAN'T.

Cardano $ADA isnt a second class citizen. $ADA is more profitable than $BTC" @IOHK_Charles pic.twitter.com/nom1nHpZTe

— Mr Banana (@D_realMrBanana) July 29, 2025

From ICO to Ecosystem Giant

Cardano’s journey began with a multi-stage initial coin offering that ran from September 2015 through January 2017. The project accumulated 108,000 BTC during its crowdsale, making it one of the largest Bitcoin holders at that time. Those holdings would command a staggering $12.8 billion at current market prices.

Rather than simply holding onto those Bitcoin reserves, Hoskinson and his team invested the funds into building out the Cardano ecosystem. Today, that decision appears to have paid off handsomely, with Cardano’s market capitalization sitting at approximately $30 billion—roughly 150% higher than what those original Bitcoin holdings would be worth.

The performance gap becomes even more striking when examining price movements since launch. From its September 2017 debut at $0.02, ADA has rocketed up 3,900%. Bitcoin, starting from $4,337 during the same period, has gained a solid but comparatively modest 2,410%.

Looking Ahead: Ambitious Growth Projections

Hoskinson doesn’t see this trend reversing anytime soon. While he acknowledges Bitcoin could potentially reach $1 million—a 10x increase from current levels—he believes Cardano’s growth potential dwarfs that figure. The Cardano founder suggests ADA could see anywhere from 100x to 1,000x appreciation, which would translate to market capitalizations ranging from $2.8 trillion to an eye-watering $28 trillion.

Several factors could drive this explosive growth, according to Hoskinson. He points to Cardano’s potential role as a DeFi layer for Bitcoin and ongoing ecosystem developments like Midnight as key catalysts. Speaking of Midnight, Hoskinson shared that the highly anticipated NIGHT token airdrop is scheduled for the second half of this year, with projections suggesting it could become a $10 billion project post-launch.

Market Implications and Investor Sentiment

Hoskinson’s bullish commentary could reinforce positive sentiment around ADA, particularly among investors seeking alternatives to Bitcoin’s more mature growth trajectory. The strong historical performance data and ambitious future projections may attract increased attention to Cardano’s ecosystem developments in the coming months.