From Career Fair to Digital Leader: Stephen Jones' Unconventional Path to VyStar Success

Stephen Jones never planned to work in finance, but a chance encounter at a career fair led to an internship, rotational program, and eventually his current role as Senior Vice President of Digital Development and Experience at VyStar Credit Union. He discovered the intersection of technology and finance, and now leads digital development and experience for the institution serving over a million members across Florida and Georgia.

Avalanche (AVAX) is poised to gain significant traction in the multi-chain finance landscape, with two major public market digital asset treasury (DAT) vehicles planning a substantial $1.375 billion buy-in. AgriFORCE, rebranding to "AVAX One," intends to accumulate around $700 million in AVAX, while Avalanche Treasury Co. (AVAT) is set to secure $675 million through a SPAC deal. Both initiatives aim to boost AVAX's role in multi-chain finance, mirroring similar strategies employed by Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL).

The market reacted positively to the announcements, with AVAX's price jumping from $29.41 to $33.49 on September 22, and further climbing to $36.16 on September 23. AgriFORCE's stock also experienced a significant intraday spike, rising over 200% before correcting. The AVAT announcement saw a milder reaction, with a 2.4% gain following broader market movements.

These treasury plans follow a broader trend of DAT companies buying altcoins. In late May, SharpLink announced plans to convert $425 million into ETH, while BTCS and BitMine followed with ETH purchases in June and July, respectively. These moves were accompanied by Ethereum's price rebound and ETF inflows, with cumulative flows surging from $3 billion to nearly $14 billion by September 19.

Similarly, Solana (SOL) saw increased interest, with DAT momentum boosting its price to $218 by August. The $1.65 billion PIPE financing by Forward Industries further catapulted SOL above $250. The REX-Osprey Solana staking ETF (SSK) also saw cumulative inflows grow from $100 million to $300 million between August and September.

AVAT's model goes beyond simple "buy and hold," offering a 23% discount to direct token exposure and mandating capital deployment into Avalanche's rails. This includes protocol investments, enterprise partnerships, and validator support. CEO Bart Smith emphasizes the effort's value beyond passive exposure.

For retail investors, these structures offer potential secondary shares and indirect exposure, but also risks such as discounted issuance prices and liquidity management. If successful, these treasuries could legitimize AVAX in institutional frameworks, broaden allocators, and foster deeper liquidity and regulated exposure.