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What is a bonding curve? Solana memecoin graduation explained

How bonding curves work on Solana launchpads, why new coins need no seed liquidity, what graduation means, what happens to liquidity and what changes for traders after a coin graduates.

10 November 2026 · 3 min read · GreenDildo team

Almost every Solana memecoin now starts life on a bonding curve. It is the reason anyone can launch a coin in a minute with no liquidity of their own, and it decides how the price moves in a coin's first hours.

This guide explains what a bonding curve is, how graduation works, and what both mean for traders.

What is a bonding curve?

A bonding curve is a price formula. Instead of buyers trading with sellers through an order book or a liquidity pool, everyone trades directly with the curve.

  • Every buy pushes the price up. Each token costs a little more than the last.
  • Every sell pushes the price down. Selling back to the curve lowers the price by the same rules.
  • The curve always quotes a price, so there is always someone to trade with, even for a coin launched seconds ago.

Why bonding curves need no seed liquidity

A normal token launch needs someone to put up both tokens and SOL to create a trading pool. Bonding curves skip that step. The curve itself holds the tokens and collects the SOL buyers pay, so a creator can launch with nothing but a few cents of network costs.

How the curve works on GreenDildo

GreenDildo coins use Raydium LaunchLab's bonding curve, with the same settings for every coin:

SettingValue
Total supply1,000,000,000
Sold on the curve793,100,000
SOL raised to graduate85 SOL
Starting market capabout $2,500
Market cap at graduationabout $37,000

Market caps are based on a SOL price of $90 and move with SOL. Early buyers pay the lowest prices, which is why the first minutes of a launch move so fast.

What is graduation?

Graduation is the moment a coin outgrows its bonding curve. Once 85 SOL has been raised, the curve closes and the coin moves to a normal Raydium pool automatically:

1. The 85 SOL raised and the remaining tokens are used to create a Raydium pool. 2. 100% of the pool's liquidity is burned, so nobody can ever pull it. 3. The coin starts trading like any other Solana token, on Raydium and through aggregators like Jupiter.

On GreenDildo, the holder tax and payouts carry on exactly as before.

What changes for traders after graduation

  • Wider access. Graduated coins are easy to find and trade through Jupiter and most Solana wallets.
  • Smoother price moves. A pool with real liquidity behind it usually moves less on each trade than a young curve.
  • A clear milestone. Graduation is public proof a coin attracted real demand, which often brings new buyers.

Risks to understand

  • Most coins never graduate. Many launches never reach 85 SOL.
  • Early prices move fast both ways. The same formula that rewards early buyers punishes late ones when people sell.
  • Graduation is not a guarantee. A coin can still lose value after it moves to Raydium.

Frequently asked questions

What does graduating mean for a memecoin?

It means the coin raised enough on its bonding curve to move to a normal Raydium trading pool, where it trades like any other Solana token.

When does a GreenDildo coin graduate?

When 85 SOL has been raised on its bonding curve.

What happens to liquidity at graduation?

The raised SOL and the remaining tokens create a Raydium pool, and 100% of that liquidity is burned so it can never be pulled.

Can a coin fall back onto the curve after graduating?

No. Graduation is one way. Once a coin moves to Raydium, it trades there from then on.