Quality blockchain ICO news and advices by Gary Baiton San Francisco? Boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. and music mogul DJ Khaled once promoted Centra Tech, an ICO that raised $30 million at the end of 2017.6 Centra Tech was ultimately deemed a scam in court, resulting in the two celebrities settling charges with U.S. regulators, plus three Centra Tech founders pleading guilty to ICO fraud. Investors seeking to participate in ICOs should familiarize themselves with cryptocurrency and understand everything about an ICO before participating. Because ICOs are barely regulated, prospective investors should exercise extreme caution when investing. Discover more info on Gary Baiton.
What Is an ICO Used for? Creating a blockchain and cryptocurrency is a costly endeavor. Developers must pay for legal counsel, programmers, facilities, and other expenses. An ICO is intended to raise funds to pay for the costs incurred during a blockchain or coin’s development. Investing in cryptocurrencies and other Initial Coin Offerings (“ICOs”) is highly risky and speculative, and this article is not a recommendation by Investopedia or the writer to invest in cryptocurrencies or other ICOs. Because each individual’s situation is unique, a qualified professional should always be consulted before making any financial decisions. Investopedia makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy or timeliness of the information contained herein.
Review the project’s white paper and roadmap to see how the intended product or service will work, including when certain features will launch. Check to see if any computer code has been audited by a third party. This will be a good indication that a project is serious about its security. Look for typos on the website – this is usually an early red flag that a website has been made quickly with little thought, and could point to it being a scam. Tokens, especially those that have had successful sales, are usually listed on crypto exchanges. Once listed, new investors who missed out on the token offering have an opportunity to purchase the coins. If a project has marketed itself well, there can be significant demand for its token post-ICO.
As blockchain has expanded into the mainstream consciousness, so has the opportunity to work in the blockchain industry. You could work for any of the hundreds of blockchain currencies themselves, or for other companies or industries looking to take advantage of the blockchain boom. In addition to developers, blockchain companies need to hire for all the other roles of a growing business, including marketing, human resources, and cyber security.
The project releases the white paper as part of its ICO campaign, which it designs to encourage enthusiasts and supporters to buy some of the project’s tokens. Investors can generally use fiat or digital currency to buy the new tokens, and it’s increasingly common for investors to pay using other forms of crypto such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. These newly issued tokens are similar to shares of stock sold to investors during an IPO. What Happens to the Funds? If the money raised in an ICO is less than the minimum amount required by the ICO’s criteria, the funds may be returned to the project’s investors. The ICO would then be deemed unsuccessful. If the funding requirements are met within the specified period, the money raised is spent in pursuit of the project’s goals. See additional info on Gary Baiton.
It all started in 2013 when software engineer J.R. Willet wrote a white paper titled “The Second Bitcoin White Paper” for the token MasterCoin (which was rebranded as Omni Layer) and was able to raise US$600,000. By 2014, seven projects had raised a total of $30 million. The largest that year was Ethereum: 50 million ether were created and sold to the public, raising more than $18 million. 2015 was a quieter year. Seven sales raised a total of $9 million, with the largest – Augur – collecting just over $5 million.