By Menno van Ravels - 13 years in crypto, 3 bear markets survived, zero paid promotions
Last reviewed:
5-step playbook
How to Use Alpha Map
To use Alpha Map, follow 5 steps: open alpha map and scan the cohort colors, toggle to the flow-of-funds overlay, zoom into a cohort to see individual coins, and the remaining checkpoints below. Each step is self-contained, uses Alpha Factory data, and can be completed in under ten minutes once the workspace is open.
Reviewed · Alpha Factory Alpha Map
Open Alpha Map and scan the cohort colors
Log in and open /alpha-map. The page renders 8-12 narrative cohorts as tile clusters colored by 7-day return. Spend fifteen seconds at the top-level view — which cohorts are predominantly green, which are predominantly red, which are mixed. This is the rotation read.
Toggle to the flow-of-funds overlay
Use the overlay control to switch from price color to flow-of-funds color. Cohorts with net stablecoin inflow are rendered in blue intensity; cohorts with net outflow in orange intensity. Compare the two views — a cohort that is green on price and blue on flow is the strongest setup; green on price with orange on flow means the move is losing fuel.
Zoom into a cohort to see individual coins
Click any cohort cluster to zoom into the underlying tokens. Each tile is sized by market cap and colored by 7-day return. Use the zoomed view to see which specific coins inside a hot cohort are leading — leaders usually continue leading while laggards inside a strong cohort often mean-revert.
Cross-reference with Alpha Scan and Risk Wave
Once you identify a cohort in rotation, open /alpha-scan filtered to that cohort to get the ranked coin list, and open /risk-wave to confirm the regime supports altcoin exposure. Alpha Map surfaces the 'where to look' question — Alpha Scan and Risk Wave answer the 'which coins' and 'how much' questions.
Check Alpha Map two or three times per week, not daily
Narrative rotations play out over weeks, not days. Checking Alpha Map every day encourages chasing intraday color changes that usually revert. Two or three checks per week — Monday, Wednesday, and Friday works well — is the right cadence for spotting genuine rotations without overtrading.
Open Alpha Map
Alpha Map walks through the same steps interactively, pre-loads current Alpha Factory signals, and saves your configuration so the next session picks up exactly where you left off.
Open Alpha MapFrequently asked questions
What does Alpha Map actually show me?
Alpha Map is a visual heatmap of the crypto market grouped by narrative cohort (AI, L2, DePIN, DeFi, RWA, gaming, meme, and emerging narratives). Each cohort renders as a cluster of tiles sized by market cap and colored by 7-day return, with an optional overlay showing net stablecoin inflow or outflow per cohort. The map surfaces rotations between narratives that are invisible in a linear coin list.
How often does Alpha Map refresh?
The price color layer refreshes every hour during market hours; the flow-of-funds overlay refreshes once per day after the 00:00 UTC candle closes. Narrative cohort membership is re-evaluated quarterly — new emerging narratives are added when a cohesive cohort forms, and stale cohorts are retired when member tokens lose liquidity or narrative relevance.
How is Alpha Map different from Alpha Scan?
Alpha Map is visual and cohort-level — it answers 'which narratives are catching bid right now?' Alpha Scan is tabular and coin-level — it answers 'within a narrative, which specific coins rank highest?' Members use Alpha Map to identify the hot cohort, then use Alpha Scan filtered to that cohort to pick the specific coins. The two tools share the same narrative taxonomy so the hand-off is seamless.
What is the flow-of-funds overlay?
The flow-of-funds overlay measures net stablecoin market cap flowing into or out of each cohort's top five tokens over the last 7 and 30 days. The overlay answers whether a cohort's price action is backed by real capital rotation or is just relief bounce. Cohorts that are green on price and show net stablecoin inflow are the strongest setups; green on price with net outflow usually signals a late move.
Can I see historical rotations?
Yes. Premium members have access to the last 12 months of cohort data in a scrubbable replay view. Watching past rotations play out — the AI cohort of early 2023, the DePIN rotation of 2024, the RWA move of 2025 — helps train the eye to recognize rotation signatures in real time. The replay view is the fastest way to internalize the patterns Alpha Map is designed to surface.
Which narrative cohorts are covered?
The current cohort list is AI, L2, DePIN, DeFi, RWA, gaming, meme, infrastructure, privacy, modular, and 1-2 rotating emerging narratives. The list is re-evaluated each quarter based on liquidity, coherent price action, and narrative distinctness. New cohorts are added when a cohesive group of 8+ liquid tokens forms around a distinct thesis; retired cohorts collapse back into infrastructure or DeFi.