In the trendy world of cryptocurrencies, the greatest levels of hype and anticipation have often been reserved for 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:initial coin offerings (ICOs), the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:crowdsourced fundraising sales used to launch new tokens, coins, and services. ICOs have comeꦗ to be seen as a significant risk for the everyday investor.

They are highly 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:speculative since few ICOs go on to see the tokens they launch meet with real success—and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:many ICOs are actually fraudulent and are scrutinized heavily by regulators. Nonetheless, investors continue to watch the ICO space closely for the next big opportunity, and some ICO projects materialize. Below, you'll read about some of the biggest ICO events in history according to the amount fundraised or the 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:return on investment (ROI).

ICOs by Amount Raised

EOS

Block.one is a private Hong Kong-based 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:blockchain company founded in 2017 by Brendan Blumer and Dan Larimer. Block.one conducted an ICO from June 26, 2017, to June 1, 2018, that 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:raised $4.1 billion to create EOS, a blockchain platform with a native cryptocurrency of the same name, EOS. Block.one marketed EOS as a solution to some of the limitations ofಞ earlier blockchains, such as high transaction fees, slow processing speed, anꦡd a lack of network scalability.

The EOS ICO holds the record for the largest ICO ever and represented nearly a quarter of the entire ICO boom of the era in which it launched. Over 1 billion EOS tokens were sold, purchased using Ethereum's 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:ether cryptocurrency (ETH), and distributed over 350 weekly 🐷periods, ea♈ch lasting five days. The EOS ICO was conducted through a smart contract on the Ethereum blockchain.

The EOS blockchain was 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:launched on June 14, 2018, shortly after the ICO was completed. The EOS cryptocurrency can be used for paying EOS transaction fees, staking for 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:block producer elections, and participating in 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:decentralized applications (dApps) built on the EOS blockchain.

Telegram

The Telegram Open 📖Network (TON) ICO raised over $1.7 billion in 2018. The ICO sought to build a fast, scalable, and user-friendly blockchain specifically for a decentralized application associated with the Telegram messaging app. Although it faced legal hurdles and technical delays, the launch of the TON mainnet in early 2020 sparked renewed interest in the project and its potential impact on the future of messaging and communication. However, the effort was terminated in mid-2020 after the SEC filed charges and won a lawsuit against Telegram for selling non-registered securities.

Tezos

The Tezos Foundation conducted the Tezos ICO from July 1 to 13, 2017. The ICO raised $232 million, primarily in Bitcoin and Ethereum. The funds raised were to be used to develop the Tezos blockchain platform and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:XTZ cryptocurrency, a project aiming to achieve high scalability, security, and self-governance through an on-chain amendment process. The fundraising structure was unique, employing "non-refundable don🐬ations" instead ofꦛ traditional token sales. This led to some controversy, with some participants seeing them as investments rather than donations.

Filecoin

Filecoin, a non-profit organization, secured a staggering $233 million in 2017 when it sold its cryptocurrency token FIL through an ICO. The Filecoin project 澳洲幸运5官方开奖🌠结果体彩网:introduced decentralized storage solutions, a critical infrastructure component for Web3, and offered token holders the potential to earn from providing storage space under a sustainable economic model.

Polkadot

The open-source blockchain project Polkadot successfully raised $145 million in 2017 to focus on building a blockchain that could provide interoperability between different blockchains. The Polkadot protocol and its 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:cryptocurrency token DOT, which was eventually launched, allow seamless communication and data transf✨er across independent blockchains. Polkadot is seen as a key solution for blockchain fragmentation and fostering a diverse ecosystem.

ICOs by Return on Investment

Ether (ETH)

Ether, the native token for Ethereum, remains the second-largest digital currency by 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:market cap as of March 2024. While Bitcoin is a blockchain and cryptocurrency, Ethereum is a blockchain designed to be a platform for decentralized applications to be built on. Its native token, ether, is used on the blockchain to pay for transactions and as collateral for honest blockchain work. Ether can also💮 be used as a payment method, similar to Bitcoin.

At the ICO, ether sold for 2,000 ETH per 1 BTC, and the token's market value was $3,496 on March 21, 2024, providing a hefty ROI for the lucky investors who bought in during the ICO.

NEO (NEO)

NEO (NEO) is a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩🌄网:Chinese open-source blo🃏ckchain project that has gone by several different names in its short history. One of the most common is not an official name, however, but rather a nickname—China’s Ethereum. NEO gained this distinction by utilizing 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:smart contract applications and decentralized commerce.

The company had a massive ICO thanks in no small part to support from the Chinese government, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), and other major companies. From an initial token price of just over $0.03 to an all-time high price of roughly $180, NEO investors who timed their investments right stood to make an incredible amount of money. On March 21, 2024, NEO traded about $14.83.

Alias (ALIAS)

Alias (ALIAS), formerly known as Spectrecoin, launched in November 2016 as a purported privacy-focused cryptocurrency. One of the touted features of the coin is that it can be sent and received around the world with complete anonymity.

Alias seeks to push the boundaries of what governments around the world are willing to tolerate from digital currencies, but it has not yet broken through to the mainstream. Nonetheless, an investment of $0.001 per token in late 2016 during the ICO would have been worth close to $0.15 in September 2021, making it one of the highest returning ICO tokens at one time. On March 21, 2024, ALIAS had a market price of $0.01341.

Ark (ARK)

Ark (ARK) is designed to be as efficient as possible. The digital currency platform allows for the quick integration of other cryptocurrencies into its own blockchain. With a global focus and a commitment to decentraliz൩ation, Ark seems to have been destined for success.

The initial token price was $0.04 during the ICO. At its highest levels, one Ark token climbed to nearly $11, but traded at $1.12, on March 21, 2024.

Stratis (STRAX)

Stratis is another cryptocurrency that has not yet made it big into the world of leading digital currencies. The company, based in the U.K., prides itself on having a platform that is compatible with various programming languages, allowing businesses the ability to create and design custom applications easily.

Microsoft (MSFT) was a prominent supporter of the Stratis ICO, and that led to major success. The project raised nearly 1,000 BTC over a period of five weeks, and individuals paid just $0.01 per token. On March 21, 2024, the cryptocurrency traded for $1.50.

The Bottom Line

While success is subjective, it is largely agreed upon that the most impactful ICOs have launched an actual cryptocurrency and raised billions of dollars in capital to fund the ecosystem development of some of the most widely used bl꧒ockchains.

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