Substrate is why DOT is the next big coin

 BTC's key technology is blockchain while ETH's key technology is the EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine).

I identified Substrate as a possible key technology in early 2010 Early 2020 but DOT was not legally purchasable on exchanges at the time. I probably would have traded the DOT if I bought it then.

Substrate is the technology that allows DOT to host multiple interconnected blockchains.

I don't really know what the future holds for substrate based blockchains but I didn't know how useful blockchain was for bitcoin (I did not recognize blockchain when I first bought BTC) and I didn't know how useful the EVM is for Ethereum (I did not recognize that the EVM existed when I bought my first ETH).

DOT publically publicly launched at around 5 USD/DOT and is currently trading at under 30 USD/DOT. It is unlikely that DOT may ever reach 5 USD/DOT again but there is a possibility of getting DOT at 20 USD/DOT or even 10 USD/DOT.

I'm not really waiting for the best discount possible. I have already bought some DOT and KSM (DOT's experimental cousin) and have staked my DOT while participating in a para-chain auction on KSM. I am not yet all in on DOT and KSM but there is a strong chance that I might be holding a majority of my funds in DOT and KSM.

Edit:

I learned about Substrate in Early 2020 not early 2010.

I am not a qualified financial advisor so please take my information as infotainment.