4 Underrated US-Based Altcoins with Strong Fundamentals That Could Be the Next Big Thing

With the altcoin market adding $126 billion in Q2 and important market indicators hinting at an upcoming rally, many believe altcoin season is around the corner.

As the crypto market continues to recover, many are anticipating so-called “altcoin season” to arrive in the coming months.

While the spotlight usually sticks to familiar names like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP, several underrated U.S.-based projects are quietly making big moves — and now might be the perfect time to pay attention.

Altcoin Buzz took a look at four promising U.S. altcoins that are currently underrated but have strong fundamentals to watch out for during this period.

Avalanche (AVAX): Triple-Chain Project with Strong Metrics Despite Price Dip

First on the list is New York-based project Avalanche (AVAX), which stands out because it operates on three separate chains — not just one.

Even though Avalanche is down about 30% over the past year and currently trades under $22, the project’s growth metrics like active users and transactions have remained strong.

Avalanche price is currently struggling but there are still some interesting tidbits about the project. It's triple chain (Avalanche, Chainlink & Stellar)

Chart: TradingView, Altcoin Buzz

Avalanche also recently announced a partnership with Chainlink to integrate the leading decentralized oracle network into the Avalanche ecosystem.

This partnership is a testament to the growing strength and importance of the Avalanche chain.

With an all-time high of $144, the analyst said that there’s plenty of room for a major rebound.

Sky (MakerDAO) & USDS

Next up is MakerDAO and its decentralized stablecoin DAI, which is now rebranded to Sky, and its stablecoin is known as USDS.

While the stablecoin market is often dominated by names like USDC and USDT, Sky remains one of the largest and most established issuers.

Maker's stablecoin is now known as USDS and it is one of the largest stablecoins in the world. It is also a top DeFi protocol.

The new Genius Act would likely see stablecoins move to the forefront of the market once again. With new U.S. regulations for stablecoins on the horizon, well-established players like Sky are positioned to grow fast.

At a $1.2 billion market cap, MKR is still flying under the radar despite offering investors a chance to share in stablecoin profits — a rare opportunity in crypto.

Render (RNDR): Decentralized GPU Power for AI Offers Strong Long-Term Potential

Another coin that is flying under the radar is Render, a project focused on providing decentralized GPU computing power, which is crucial for AI models like ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs).

Render has seen its price drop significantly from an all-time high of $13.53 to around $4 at the moment. But despite this setback, the fundamentals of the project remain rock-solid.

The only concern is its unlimited max token supply.

Still, with AI and GPU demand booming, this might be one of the smartest long-term plays in the market today.

Optimism (OP): Key Ethereum L2 with Solid Fundamentals Despite Price Drop

Last but not least is Optimism (OP), one of the top Ethereum Layer-2 scaling solutions. It’s the foundation behind projects like Coinbase’s BASE chain and is helping to drive the broader Superchain ecosystem forward.

Optimism has had a tough year, with its price dropping over 70% from its peak of $4.84 to below $0.74 today.

But the analyst argues that the project’s fundamentals remain strong, and with Coinbase now a member of the S&P 500, regulatory clarity could bring more attention to OP in the future.