How a 17-Year-Old South African Became a Meme Coin Millionaire – And Now Advises Billion-Dollar Hedge Funds
Meet Maurits Neo, a prodigy from South Africa who turned candy sales and teenage side hustles into a multi-million dollar crypto empire — all before hitting 18.
From selling sweets in school to making $200,000 in 10 minutes with meme coins, Maurits’s story is not your typical crypto success saga. In an exclusive podcast interview, he lays out how he rode early internet trends, leveraged layer 2 blockchain plays, and joined underground trading groups worth over a billion dollars. Today, he consults for hedge funds, runs his own trading cabal, and manages millions — much of it without even knowing the real names of his crypto partners.
The Early Hustles: Candy, Dogs, and eCommerce
Before crypto, Maurits was an enterprising 13-year-old flipping candy to classmates and walking dogs for extra cash. That turned into a small dropshipping gig, earning just a few hundred dollars a month. But every dollar was saved with purpose — he was gearing up for something bigger.
The Accidental Crypto Breakthrough
At 14, Maurits invested nearly all his savings — just a few thousand dollars — into Polygon (MATIC), a layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum. He’d done deep research: studied the founders, assessed their university backgrounds, and followed Vitalik Buterin’s vision of Ethereum’s scaling future.
Why MATIC?
Ethereum’s fees were rising and Maurits knew adoption would demand cheaper, faster alternatives. He saw Polygon as a “leverage play” on Ethereum — and it paid off. MATIC grew from a $50M market cap to over $13B, and Maurits walked away with a six-figure gain.
“That was my play. I went autistically through everything – the team, the mission. I was all in.”
Meme Coin Mastery: Casino Odds, Poker Strategy
While many treat meme coins like a digital roulette table, Maurits likens it to poker: part chance, but mostly strategy.
One of his biggest wins? $200,000 in under 10 minutes by sniping a newly launched meme coin with a $5,000 transaction fee — just to get in early. He was one of the first three buyers before the market flooded.
“Sniping is like paying for VIP access to a mosh pit. You get in first, and if the crowd surges, you’re the one on stage.”
Also Read – How Samuel Onuha Built a $20M Empire And His Networth
The Tools: Telegram Bots, Wallet Trackers & Alpha Leaks
Forget Coinbase and Binance. Maurits’s toolkit includes Telegram trading bots like Nova and Trojan, wallet trackers like GMG, and private chats with “alpha” hunters — people who find narrative trends before they break.
Three Levels of Crypto Trading:
- Retail Exchanges: Too slow, too late.
- On-Chain Tools: Like Uniswap and Jupiter — decent, but not the fastest.
- Telegram Bots: Ultra-fast, customizable, and crucial for meme coin plays.
Building and Protecting Wealth: Strategy Over Emotion
Maurits has a strict trading rule: sell 50% once a coin 2Xs. That way, his principal is always protected. He scales out in increments — never all at once — and avoids FOMO like the plague.
“Most people round-trip profits to zero. I set exit rules that make losses almost impossible.”
Welcome to the Cabal
Maurits is part of an invite-only group chat where every member has over $1M in crypto. Combined, the chat controls well over a billion in capital.
These chats are alpha factories: members drop coin tips, run wallet analytics, and act instantly. Miss a signal? You might miss a 100X play.
The Dark Side of the Meme Economy
He’s been rugged, scammed, and honey-potted. Once, he lost $200K to a Dutch teen scammer he’d known for two years. Another time, he lost everything during the FTX and BlockFi crashes — just after calling the market top based on an Uber driver’s crypto advice.
But he bounced back.
Rebuilding from Zero
After losing nearly half a million dollars, Maurits climbed Lion’s Head in Cape Town, meditated at sunrise, and decided to go all in — again. He started a content agency during the bear market to rebuild capital, then re-entered crypto when the time was right.
Consulting for Hedge Funds
Maurits’s deep knowledge of emerging market behaviors and blockchain infrastructure got him internships at South African funds. He explained crypto to traditional finance pros, ran OTC deals for millions, and helped bridge the gap between smart money and smart tech.
“I’d sit down with billion-dollar fund managers and explain Ethereum to them — as a teenager.”
Crafting a Public Brand — With Zero Monetization
Despite a massive social following (400K+ across platforms), Maurits refuses to sell courses or ebooks. His brand is built for access, not cash grabs. He’s playing the long game: earn trust, build equity, get invited into rooms money can’t buy.
He even applied to Harvard — for credibility with high-net-worth mentors — and aced the SATs.
Final Thoughts: This Isn’t Luck. It’s Leverage.
What Maurits has done isn’t replicable by following one blueprint. It’s a mix of relentless curiosity, strategic positioning, and calculated risk. He didn’t just buy the right coin — he built the right network, asked the right questions, and acted faster than the crowd.
