Avalanche (AVAX) is a blockchain platform designed to enable fast and secure decentralized applications (dApps) and financial systems. It was founded by Emin Gün Sirer and his company Ava Labs in 2020. Avalanche aims to address the scalability and security issues faced by other blockchain networks. It is named after the Avalanche protocol, a consensus algorithm that makes the platform highly efficient and allows for high throughput and low fees.