AdHive launches AI-powered platform to promote ICOs

Regardless of the buzz around ICOs and other blockchain token generation events,

one thing remains true. If you want people to invest in your project and hit your targets, you need to attract a large community. AI-controlled influencer marketing platform AdHive today announced an ICO-focused marketing solution designed specifically for this purpose. The product itself is a combination of influencer marketing and AI-powered campaign management. On the influencer marketing side, AdHive’s platform identifies individuals who have sway in the blockchain technology space and helps your engage with them. The chosen influencers then produce content in the form of reviews, AMAs, interviews, technical and white paper analysis, or native product placement.

“We have our own analytical tool, which allows us to analyze influencers’ accounts and find out the quality of the content, their base of subscribers, their organic traffic, and comments,” AdHive cofounder Alexandr Kuzmin told me. “There are several categories of influencers in our base — micro-influencers with no more than 10,000 subscribers, a middle category with 10,000 to 50,000 subscribers, and macro-influencers with more than 50,000. Such classifications allow brands to take a ‘soft dip’ into our platform — make the first campaign among micro-influencers to see how it works and warm up the market, and then after that launch a big advertising campaign and create a buzz on the crypto market.”

AdHive categorizes influencers not just by size, but by content type and area of expertise, helping marketers and advertisers choose the right people to partner with. “It should be noted that very few influencers are highly specialized,” Kuzmin said. “Most of them prefer to combine several categories in one channel, as they make reviews on the news, crypto projects, and interviews in order to cover as many projects as possible.”

The platform also ensures that these influencers are not gaming the system in return for engagements. “We choose those who show organic growth without any cheating,” Kuzmin said. “All influencers are selected depending on the customer’s needs by targeting. Most often, advertisers prefer to work with influencers from the U.S., Central Europe and Asia (including Japan, India, South Korea, Hong Kong), and Australia.” In addition to the influencer marketing tool, the platform offers a campaign management system that uses AI to optimize campaign delivery, although it isn’t an AI-only system.

“Our platform is highly automated, and we are proud to offer our clients a service that allows them to create a campaign by pressing just one button,” Kuzmin said. “After receiving a request for a campaign, our manager will contact the advertiser and propose an optimal offer. Our artificial intelligence will be monitoring how the task is being completed, which allows us to significantly speed up and automate the process of collecting analytics for the output of commercials so that a full-scale advertising campaign could be launched in one day.”

The crypto space is, famously, awash with money right now. While that’s good news for those launching projects, it has also meant that service providers have raised their prices, which puts pressure on the entire ecosystem. So how much does AdHive’s platform cost? “At the moment, we are offering an individual approach to each client based on their needs, KPIs, and marketing strategy,” Kuzmin said. “However, an average advertising campaign with approximate coverage of more than 80,000 views would cost about $10,000. This price includes our commission. We accept BTC, ETH, and our own ADH tokens as a means of payment. Since we have been actively working with a global network of influencers, we can offer much more favorable prices for brands than if they contact the influencer directly.”

AdHive is aware of the challenges blockchain marketers face right now and hopes its offering will appeal to startups despite current conditions. “It is worth noting that the drop in average caps has also affected companies’ marketing policies,” Kuzmin said. “ICO marketers nowadays are trying to optimize their costs and prefer to use the most efficient channels with maximum output in the short term. We’ve created our service as the answer for such companies, since traditional marketing tools have significantly sagged in efficiency due to market volatility and government restrictions, and crypto projects need non-standard methods.”

So what’s next for AdHive?

“AdHive is not just about crypto and ICO project promotion,” Kuzmin said. “In essence, our main audience is traditional brands. We are hard at work as we prepare to release a massive protocol concept in late July. Among the additions are a mobile app and some new AI products, such as an AI Mobile SDK, Cloud Knowledge Base, and others.”

Article Produced By
Stewart Rogers
Director, Marketing Technology

I’ve been involved in sales, marketing and running software companies since computers had black screens with the ‘wide choice’ of green or orange text. Those were the days… When I’m not speaking, writing or reading about marketing technology, sales force automation, web tools and awesome processes you’ll find me helping to make VB Insight the best analysis and reports resource on the planet – one where every expert can finally have their words read and their voices heard. If you’re a subject-matter champion in any area of sales or marketing technology, you should probably let me know.

I live in the UK, follow football (that’s soccer, not ‘throwball’), Formula 1, ice hockey, and play video games. I respect and subscribe to the VentureBeat statement of ethics. I drink coffee, yerba mate, white tea and water as if I’m getting paid to do so (I’m not). In my spare time, I run a few multi-author blogs that give all the revenue they generate to worthy causes. When they produce a wireless Internet connection that plugs directly into the medulla oblongata, I’ll be first in line.

https://venturebeat.com/2018/07/16/adhive-launches-ai-powered-platform-to-promote-icos/

 

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

American Express Files Patent for Blockchain-Powered Proof-of-Payment System

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Korean Lawmakers Hasten to Regulate Cryptocurrency, Legalize ICOs

Lawmakers in South Korea, one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency trading markets,

Representative Park Yong-jin, a lawmaker and member of the country’s ruling Democratic Party, is perhaps the most prominent politician pushing for regulations, alongside Rep. Chung Tae-ok of the primary opposition Liberty Party Korea (LPK) and Rep. Choung Byoung-gug of the Bareun Mirae Party, a minor opposition camp.

As reported previously by CCN in July 2017, Park proposed at least three new bills to build a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies despite previously comparing last year’s surging prices to Europe’s tulip mania in the 17^th century. Rep. Hong Eui-rak, also of the political camp in power, is notably pushing for the legalization of ICOs after authorities enforced a ban on the radical new form of fundraising in September last year.

Further, Rep. Song Hee-kyung of the opposition LPK party is set to host a policy debate on the security framework at domestic cryptocurrency exchanges on July 19, in a year of noteworthy major security breaches and thefts at Korean exchanges. Last month, domestic exchange Coinrail was the victim of a hack with a reported 40 billion won ($37 million) in cryptocurrency stolen. A little over a week later, Seoul-based Bithumb – the country’s biggest crypto exchange – suspended Unlinktransactions after losing $30 million in cryptocurrency following another hack.

The proposed draft regulations coincide with a previously-set deadline by G20 nations that aims to enact a uniform regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency sector among member nations.

Article Produced By
CNN

https://www.ccn.com/korean-lawmakers-hasten-to-regulate-cryptocurrency-legalize-icos/

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Already More ICOs in 2018 Than All of 2017: $6.3B

 

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Liechtenstein’s Blockchain Law, Crypto Banking and ICOs, Interview With Prime Minister

Adrian Hasler, the Prime Minister of Liechtenstein,

is certain that blockchain technology will have an impact on a variety of areas and is preparing a new blockchain law to provide essential requirements in order to establish a regulatory base for blockchain businesses. The blockchain law — so called Blockchain Act — was announced by Adrian Hasler at this year’s Finance Forum on March 21. According to Adrian Hasler, the new act is about integrating current business models in regulatory terms in order to give companies and their clients a legal base. The planned act is expected to be circulated for consultations this summer. Cointelegraph spoke with the prime minister about blockchain regulation, the politics regarding this technology and cryptocurrencies, ICOs and the business climate in Liechtenstein.

About Lichtenstein’s blockchain law

Cointelegraph: In your greetings at the Finance Forum you announced a new blockchain law. What makes this regulation special?

Adrian Hasler: We see great potential in blockchain technologies that go far beyond what we can observe today. Our law is designed to serve as the legislative basis for such a token economy and thereby provide regulatory certainty for all participants and overall further

positive development [in this space].

Blockchain can serve as an important base for a variety of economic applications, covering not only payment transactions but broader financial solutions, industry use cases and general applications.

CT: Could you specify the implications of such a regulation when put into place for blockchain businesses and the average citizen? How can they profit from it?

AH: We expect many more rights and assets put into blockchain systems in the future. One example: in order to effectively capitalize on the advantages of these efficient transaction systems we need a lawfully secure connection with the physical world, which we aim to achieve with state regulatory oversight. This will create trust, which is important for blockchain businesses and citizens.

CT: Why is blockchain an interesting topic for Liechtenstein?

AH: We have dealt with possibilities and risks associated with blockchain in the past. We view some opportunities here but also certain challenges for all economic sectors, especially the financial sector. It is important for the state of Liechtenstein that the government and authorities deal intensively with the consequences in practices to be able to treat companies fairly and competently. We aim to actively accompany this development.

About the future of cryptocurrencies

CT: Are you optimistic about the future of blockchain and cryptocurrencies?

AH: We observe a remarkable, globally oriented, and well-educated scene that is very much involved in the advancement of blockchain technology, and we believe that we are only at the beginning of an exciting and long-term development. Cryptocurrencies for me represent merely a fraction of possible use cases of blockchain in a tokenized economy. I believe we have to distinguish between payment traffic, stable coins representing legal means of payments and self-sustaining cryptocurrencies. It goes without saying that payments within a token economy are executed via blockchain. In this context, it can be assumed that stable coins, which are linked to legal currencies, will play an

important role.

Cryptocurrencies can play a significant role in the future once they become widely accepted.

CT: Do you see an interest in blockchain projects and demand for cryptocurrencies from the citizens of Liechtenstein?

AH: Liechtenstein accounts for a relatively large blockchain scene with a very big interest in blockchain projects and cryptocurrencies. For a layperson however, it seems relatively hard to accurately assess the risks of such an investment. Partaking in an ICO alone can be quite difficult. For this reason, there are increasingly more financial products entering the market that make investments easier. However, these are currently only approved for qualified investors.

CT: The Liechtenstein family bank Bank Frick allows direct investments in cryptocurrencies. Do you support the idea of crypto-banking as an alternative to

traditional banking?

I really do not see a contradiction between crypto banking and traditional banking.

AH: I rather expect to see an integration of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies in the financial sector. I do applaud this development because it introduces high standards und legislative security for investors of the traditional finance sector on blockchains. Of course, we need to make sure that the advantages of the crypto world are sustained as best as possible.

CT: Are you yourself dealing with cryptocurrencies or investing in blockchain projects?

AH: No, in my function as head of the government, I keep a low profile here.

About Liechtenstein as a location for ICOs

CT: Liechtenstein has become a favourite location in the world, to start ICOs. What are the reasons?

AH: One important reason is the openness of the authorities and the government for the new technologies and the subsequently acquired knowledge on how to use them. Surely it helps that you have very little response time as a company. It is relatively quickly possible to schedule a meeting with the ministry of the FMA [financial authority of Liechtenstein]. Furthermore we introduced a so-called regulatory laboratory at the FMA, which is a competent contact for innovative companies. Especially Fintech and blockchain companies seem to use this option intensively.

CT: Liechtenstein is subject to certain European Union regulations. Have those furthered the advancement of innovative ICOs or rather hindered it?

AH: Liechtenstein is a member of the European ecosystem und complies with all EU regulations in his financial service area. This is why companies in Liechtenstein also benefit from the so-called ‘EU-Pass’, hence the access to the European market. In our experience, however, it depends heavily on the specific design of an ICO, whether financial market law issues are affected. To my knowledge, many ICOs in Liechtenstein have already been successfully implemented within the framework of the financial market rules.

Article Produced By
Veronika Rinecker

https://cointelegraph.com/news/liechtenstein-s-blockchain-law-crypto-banking-and-icos-interview-with-prime-minister

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SEC Cracks Down: Fraudulent ICO’s Accounts Frozen

With cryptocurrency growing more prevalent in the mainstream,

the SEC is taking action to regulate ICOs as securities. On June 18, 2018, the SEC received a court order to freeze the assets of the PlexCoin founders under allegations of false marketing and fraudulent activity.

Wild West of ICOs Coming to an End

Reported by Crowdfund Insider on June 20, the SEC received an emergency court order to freeze the assets of PlexCorps founders, Dominic Lacroix and Sabrina Paradis-Royer, as part of an ongoing enforcement action initiated in December 2017. According to the initial report, the original court order to freeze the assets of Lacroix and Paradis-Royer was received in December 2017 and unsealed on June 18. It is alleged that Lacroix used fake accounts, including that of his brother’s, to liquidate investor funds for personal use received in the PlexCoin ICO. Both Lacroix and Paradis-Royer are being charged with violating anti-fraud provisions regarding the PlexCoin ICO and will be receiving penalties for false marketing and fraudulent activity.

According to the initial press release by the SEC:

“The complaint seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement plus interest and penalties.  For Lacroix, the SEC also seeks an officer-and-director bar and a bar from offering digital securities against Lacroix and Paradis-Royer.”

PlexCorps raised nearly $15 million from thousands of investors through their PlexCoin ICO, which untruthfully claimed the coin would yield a 1,354% profit in under 29 days.

SEC Cyber Unit Taking Action

Formed in September 2017, the SEC Cyber Unit pursued the PlexCoin ICO misconduct as their first case since inception and made clear that such activity would not be tolerated. In the December 2017 press release,

Chief of SEC Cyber Unit Robert Cohen states:

“This first Cyber Unit case hits all of the characteristics of a full-fledged cyber scam and is exactly the kind of misconduct the unit will be pursuing. We acted quickly to protect retail investors from this initial coin offering’s false promises.”

In the press release, the SEC dubbed PlexCorps founder, Dominic Lacroix “a recidivist Quebec securities law violator” and revealed that they were working with the Office of International Affairs and Quebec’s Autorité Des Marchés Financiers to uncover the full extent of the PlexCoin ICO fraud. As cryptocurrency grows more prevalent, it’s becoming clear that regulatory bodies are finally catching on to the global impact and influence of initial coin offerings, distributed ledger technology, and cryptocurrency exchanges on retail investors still new to the scene.

Article Produced By
Jonathan Kim

Jonathan Kim is a University of Washington student of Finance and cryptocurrency investor with a deep interest in the emerging industry of blockchain applications and cryptocurrency trading. Involved with a recently launched ICO, Jonathan is familiar with the internal process of crowdsale funding and the workings of a blockchain startup. His past experiences involve publishing original daily content for blockchain startups and trading cryptocurrency using technical analysis principles.

https://cryptoslate.com/sec-cracks-down-fraudulent-icos-accounts-frozen/

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

John McAfee Will No Longer Promote ICOs, Cites ‘SEC Threats’

Anti-virus pioneer and crypto evangelist John McAfee

tweeted that he will no longer work with initial coin offerings (ICOs) or promote them due to “threats” from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC declined to comment on his statement. In April, McAfee revealed that he charges $105,000 per tweet to promote cryptocurrency projects and products. McAfee claimed that if you divided the cost by his total number of Twitter followers, the “cost per investor reached” is only $0.13, to which he added, “This is orders of magnitude less than any other approach.” In January, Cointelegraph asked McAfee in an interview whether anyone had tried to pay him for promoting a project or product, and if so, which projects.

McAfee replied:

“I would say definitely they tried to pay me. I'm not going to talk about my personal finances where I make my money or from who. I set up on stage as it’s my business and it should be everybody's business. And actually, I think it's rude to even ask such questions of people. No offense.”

When asked whether he felt responsible for the pump-and-dump schemes that sometimes follow his endorsement, he said, “Absolutely not.” Last month, McAfee announced plans to release his own “fiat” currency backed by cryptocurrency, which will be redeemable for face time with him. He said that the  McAfee Promissory Note will be connected to a blockchain by tokens and can be redeemed for up to 100 minutes of personal time with him at a location anywhere in the world.

The crypto advocate also hit headlines earlier this month when he announced a 2020 presidential bid as a way to serve the crypto community. McAfee then tweeted about the run, noting that although he doesn’t think he actually has a “chance of winning,” the bid will give him a platform to tell the “truth.”

Last month, the SEC launched a fake ICO website to increase awareness of the typical warning signs of scam ICOs and to promote investor education. The website includes such details as a misleading and blurry white paper, guaranteed returns claims, celebrity endorsements, and a countdown clock that is “quickly running out on the deal of a lifetime.” In April, SEC Commissioner Robert Jackson criticized ICOs, stating that the crypto space “has been full of troubling developments that we’ve seen at the SEC, and especially the ICO space.”

Article Produced By
Ana Alexandre

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Initial Coin Offering (ICO)

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Gecko gets its crypto groove on

with ICO compliance tool and looming ICO. The promise of blockchain has been undermined and the shine taken from cryptocurrencies by questionable initial coin offerings (ICOs) and highly publicised spates of crypto-jacking and coin fraud. But now, a new tool from Irish start-up Gecko Governance could bring them back to the fold in terms of the accountability and the transparency that blockchain is meant

to be all about.

‘The current lack of governance standards within the ICO market is a barrier to the continued growth of the global blockchain ecosystem’
^{– SHANE BRETT}

Gecko has developed a new platform called Gecko Crypto1, which will address the issues of accountability and transparency within the ICO market by allowing companies to manage ICO projects before, during and after the capital raising period. Not only will this ensure continuous compliance with national and international regulation, it will also allow ICOs to be better vetted by investors while providing an independent audit trail for regulators.

Gecko plots its own ICO

Gecko – a previous Siliconrepublic.com Start-up of the Week that is backed by Cosimo Ventures and counts Grant Thornton among its clients – is also planning to embark on its own ICO in the coming months. “2017 saw over $6.8bn raised through token sales, showcasing an incredible potential to finance ambitious products and start-ups,” said Gecko co-founder and CEO Shane Brett.

“However, the current lack of governance standards within the ICO market is a barrier to the continued growth of the global blockchain ecosystem and may even become a point of failure. “Gecko aims to bring transparency, accountability and reliability to the ICO market, facilitating its maturation into a scalable and secure industry in which to do business,” Brett added. The Gecko Crypto1 platform recently received approval from the Isle of Man Financial Services Authority for use by companies and organisations conducting token sales.

“This is a wonderful moment for Gecko as we move in a new direction, bringing the same level of accountability and transparency to the ICO market as we have been providing to the funds compliance industry for years,” Brett continued. “Our ICO will not only allow us to effectively scale our platform to address the requirements of the global blockchain ecosystem, but gives us the opportunity to showcase the best practices which Gecko will bring to the fore in the international token market.”

Article Produced By
John Kennedy

Editor John Kennedy is an award-winning technology journalist.

editorial@siliconrepublic.com

https://www.siliconrepublic.com/start-ups/gecko-ico-regulatory-compliance-tool

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden

Inside the Meteoric Rise of ICOs

Initial Coin Offerings ("ICOs") have quickly grown

to account for more startup funding in blockchain-based companies than all of Venture Capital. Nearly $2.3 billion has been raised to date in ICOs, with the large majority of that taking place in the first half of 2017. In 2015 there was a smaller market for ICOs, where a million dollar sale was a rarity. Only a few of the most visible projects were raising sums in the millions.

Then in 2016 the DAO raised over $150M in a few days, though it was later plagued with security issues and determined to be in violation of securities laws by the SEC. However, the size and speed of the funds raised for the DAO helped bring further attention to ICOs as a sale/funding model. Fast forward to 2017 and we’ve seen a meteoric rise in the amount of funding raised monthly in ICOs. April was $103M. May $232M. June hit $462M. July $574M.

How ICOs Work

Rather than looking to traditional angel or venture investors to place capital as an equity investment, companies developing new blockchain-based products and services have turned to the cryptocurrency community to crowdsource the purchase and usage of their token in an ICO. ICOs are similar in some ways to a crowdfunding campaign, but instead of offering a copy of a product like on Kickstarter, or shares of equity in a startup like on Crowdfunder, what is being offered are digital “tokens.” This process of selling new cryptocurrency tokens in an ICO results in funding received via cryptocurrency, most commonly in Bitcoin or Ether.

But there's more to it…

Utility Tokens

Most ICOs being done today aren't intended to be securities offerings, as they don't offer equity or ownership in the underlying company the way traditional angel or venture investments do. Rather, a large majority of ICOs are intended as “utility tokens" which allow buyers of the token to access and pay for usage of a blockchain-based software service.

One example of a utility token in use today is the Ether token, as it relates to the Ethereum computing platform. Ethereum is the blockchain-based platform where the large majority of the current ICO’s have been developed. When using the Ethereum network, there are costs associated with the processing of blockchain-based transactions. These costs are paid in the form of the tokens used on Ethereum, called Ether. These transaction fees paid in Ether are called "gas" in the Ethereum network. In this way, the Ether token provides access to, and payment for, the computing and transactional functions of Ethereum. But beyond its transactional usage, Ether is also a cryptocurrency that is bought, sold, and traded on the open markets.

And while some tokens may not be considered a securities offering (utility tokens), the recent SEC release put out in July warned investors about the potential for fraud with ICOs as unregulated sales. Specifically, the release outlined details of the SEC investigation into the DAO which raised over $150M in its own ICO, and reiterated its ongoing concerns that some ICOs may constitute securities offerings, like the DAO, while not being treated as such. No formal new rulings or restrictions on ICOs have been issued recently by the SEC, though China recently banned ICOs altogether.

Are Securities Tokens The New Equity Crowdfunding?

In contrast to utility tokens, some ICOs are already being done as registered securities offerings.  One example is longtime Bitcoin and cryptocurrency investor and entrepreneur Brock Pierce, who sees a bright future in ICOs with registered securities – meaning they may include equity or some form of an investment return in connection with the tokens sold in the offering. Pierce is arguably a pioneer of the ICO space as an investor in Mastercoin, the first ICO, in 2013. More recently, his venture capital firm Blockchain Capital did the first ever ICO for a token as a security (BCAP token), selling participation in their venture capital fund as a liquid cryptocurrency.

As we saw with the JOBS Act and equity crowdfunding laws, broader regulation can help open up a new market while protecting investors with regulated processes. But regulations can also introduce overly-burdensome requirements that hamper innovation and capital formation, as has seemed to be the case with the weak adoption by startups of Title III of the JOBS Act.

What’s Driving the Growth of ICOs

With an understanding of what ICOs are, and an overview of how they work, there is still the question of what’s behind their incredible growth. Here are several of the likely contributors to the growth of this market, along with thoughts on each from leaders in the cryptocurrency and venture investing space…

1. The Massive increase in the Value of Cryptocurrencies

The market capitalization of all Cryptocurrency has risen from $7 billion in January of 2016 to over $130 billion as of now in September 2017. Bitcoin has appreciated nearly 30X since September of 2013 ($135 USD per Bitcoin), reaching over $4,000 per Bitcoin in September of 2017. In part, this is due to Bitcoin’s role as the most widely known, used, and accepted cryptocurrency for payments. Ether has appreciated more than 100X since August of 2015 ($2.83 USD), reaching over $300 in September of 2017. In part, this has been due to Ether’s role as the core utility token of Ethereum – the most widely used blockchain-based computing platform for ICO’s / token sales.

The early cryptocurrency buyers and holders have experienced massive gains and are now sitting on hundreds of millions, or even billions, in cryptocurrency value. ICOs are a way for some of these early cryptocurrency holders to diversify their holdings using the cryptocurrency itself, without taking their money out into fiat currency (offline bank-based dollars). Sam Englebardt, Managing Director of Private Investments at Galaxy Investment Partners, the family office of billionaire and large cryptocurrency investor Mike Novogratz, said…

“It would be naive not to acknowledge that there’s something very bubbly about what’s going on here with ICOs, but it’s also the easy answer. While bubbles are sometimes fueled by nothing more than pure speculative mania and greed, most are actually rooted in something very real. Railroads were that way. The internet was obviously like that; the excitement was built on a legitimately transformative innovation and, when the dust settled, that innovation ultimately met and exceeded the initial speculators’ wildest expectations.

I think the same is true with the blockchain — the underlying potential of the blockchain to touch and disrupt so many different aspects of our lives, on a global scale, is becoming apparent. Ideas spread fast these days and crowdfunding did a lot of the groundwork to make those ideas actionable. It can’t go up like this forever, but I’d say we have a long way to go before we hit the top."

2. The Power of Blockchain, Tokenization, and Decentralization

In the last year we’ve seen an incredible move by startups and founders towards use of blockchain technology and tokenized models. Rather than building new products on centralized architectures and database structures, an incredible wave of new development and innovation is happening on blockchain technology to kick off new decentralized services and models. There’s a deep technical community running full speed towards a blockchain-based future, with experienced technology company founders jumping in to the fray with blockchain. A majority of the ICOs you’re seeing today are for new companies, who are yet to launch their products to the market.

That said, with the tremendous interest and adoption from leading technologists and founders, it’s no surprise that we’re also starting to see a growing list of more traditional VC investors putting money into decentralized applications and blockchain-based approaches to traditional and existing businesses. We’re also starting to see the ICO and tokenization model start to catch up with more mature and established companies. Erick Miller, CEO of CoinCircle and investor at his venture capital firm Hyperspeed Ventures, said…

“The invention of true peer-to-peer digital money was first just an experiment that has grown into a revolution. This digital money, which pairs blockchain technology with cryptocurrency, enables an unprecedented transformation in how we store and transmit value. We are now in the next phase of the experiment and it is one of the most simple but incredibly fundamental paradigm shifts in the history of currency. Today, we have peer-to-peer programmable money, decentralized protocols utilizing their own coins, and coins that execute unstoppable decentralized logic all creating an entirely new economic system. I believe what is happening in the space today will bring about an era of new technological connectivity.”

3. Token Sale ROI

Another reason for the rise in ICOs are the incredible returns that some tokens have provided to early buyers. For example, here are some top ICO performers according to ICOstats.com (as of September 22nd, 2017):

Ethereum: 84,720% ROI since ICO – Stratis: 54,038% ROI since ICO – Augur: 2,720% ROI values since ICO

With this, it’s incredibly important to understand that price appreciation of a token in the short term might have little, if any, bearing on the medium and long-term sustainability of the token and the underlying company or project for which the token was created.

Cooper Maruyama the founder of ICOstats.com shared…

“I think there’s sort of a snowball effect kicked off by the success of Bitcoin and Ether. I think people see this all under the umbrella of “crypto” and want to be in on the next thing that will bring large returns. So they throw ETH/BTC at new tokens – which ideologically falls under that same umbrella of “crypto” – with the expectation of the same returns. Whether that will be the case is yet to be seen, but according to the data, buying more ETH on the same day of each ICO has seen better returns over time."

4. Token Sales As Community Acquisition

Great ICOs aren't just for the money. New services that leverage blockchain technology and incorporate token-based models do so to use tokens as a mechanism for the exchange of information and value within their product. Which is why, the more buyers and holders of a token, the greater the potential for the usage of the token, and thus demand. In this way, a token sale represents a new model of crowdsourcing or crowdfunding, where the line between buyers and customers are blurred.

As an example, imagine if 1,000 new participants sign up and buy tokens in an ICO. This not only provides funding for futher development and expansion, it also jumpstarts the underlying service with a community of users as token holders. One example of this was the Bancor ICO, which took in over $153M at the time, while the sale also resulted in thousands of token-buyers. These early and first buyers of the Bancor token are the most likely future users and adopters of the core protocol and services that Bancor provides.

"We had one of the largest bounty programs in history with thousands of active participants working towards the success of the token launch, directly through our software's alpha demo," Galia Benartzi, CoFounder and VP of Business Development at Bancor explained.

"While we ourselves were a small team, we had ambassadors all over the world translating, explaining and creating great content about the Bancor protocol. These contributors remain more motivated than ever to see the project succeed, as they own a piece of the open source network via their tokens. Rather than paying marketing or PR firms, we can share these resources directly with end-users in a distributed and still orchestrated way. The reach is a step function larger and also feels much more authentically aligned. This is inline with blockchain's promise to decentralize every aspect of business, including growth itself."

What’s Next In The Market

The majority of ICOs launched to date have been for relatively new and upstart companies with little or no existing growth or revenue. However, we’re starting to see ICOs come to market from more established VC-backed companies who are tokenizing their businesses. One example is Unikrn and their UnikoinGold token sale, the first token sale backed by Mark Cuban. The company is a post-Series A and VC-backed company, and a leader in the esports industry with a growing online community.

"We won’t be taking the funds from our sale and trying build something from scratch, hoping to attract users and get adoption,” said Rahul Sood CEO of Unikrn in his Medium post about UnikoinGold. "This isn’t an investment; it’s a purchase of a product that we developed that has utility on our platform and ours users love and demand. We already have users and adoption, and now the UnikoinGold token will unlock even more functionality and value for our community.”

Expect more mature startups and large existing businesses to continue to explore the ICO space. With serious tech Founders and deep pocketed VCs and Crypto investors moving full-steam ahead, Blockchain and tokenization is emerging as one of the most powerful new technological and economic movements we’ve seen since the birth of the Internet. The hype and the astronomical returns can't last forever, but the underlying innovations are transformative and here to stay.

Article Produced By
Chance Barnett

Entrepreneur, Investor, Adventurer. CoFounder CoinCircle. Founder & Chairman, Crowdfunder. Catalyst in equity crowdfunding legislation & JOBS Act.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chancebarnett/2017/09/23/inside-the-meteoric-rise-of-icos/#49be45075670

David https://markethive.com/david-ogden