If the idea of crowdfunding appeals to you, particularly where there’s little effort in finding opportunities for investment by going to an online platform, you can see it work successfully in sites such as Indiegogo and Kickstarter, with famous entries including major-studio level films (the Veronica Mars Kickstarter Project) and VR trailblazer Oculus Rift. Cryptocurrency is becoming an interesting option for investing through Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) and Initial Token Offerings (ITO), but still suffers from the mystery of hard-core programming technology behind the blockchain applications that make it possible, and the combined bad press of “dark web” use of cryptocurrency for illegal activity, the incidents of impossibly fast and irretrievable theft of millions of dollars, and the insecurity of the stability of the currency that might occur from branches. Cryptocurrency advocates will argue that government-backed currencies have their own instabilities: devaluation and government regulation to counteract market fluctuation doesn’t guarantee stability or consistency in a global economy.
Major financial institutions have given a Janus-like response to both relatively long-established cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin and Etherium considered the major points of interest). JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon makes Trump-like pronouncements about the foolishness of investing in Bitcoin while his bank (along with more than a dozen other large banks) are quietly and consistently acting as brokers for the cryptocurrency, buying and selling Bitcoin XBT on Nasdaq’s Stockholm-based exchange, according to Swedish online bank Nordnet AB. From the technology side, possibly the biggest stamp of corporate approval is through the Linux Foundation hosting the Hyperledger fabric, with a consortium across multiple industries and businesses.
It’s not surprising that some platform would arise to serve for the both the less-well heeled crowd that wants to jump into the fray, but may not have the technical background or the inclination to hunt for opportunities, especially if the idea of getting into the startup or VC world is interesting but daunting.
Toronto-based Coinlaunch offers end-to-end ICO platform
CoinLaunch has launched what they say is the first end-to-end Initial Coin Offering (ICO) platform that allows anyone to build, deploy and monetize compliant ICOs through an easy-to-use web-based service. The platform focuses on three groups of cryptocurrency users: ICO creators, funders and promoters. The company provides a free and powerful Coin Creator that enables users to create their own Ethereum-based ICO.
An integrated cryptocurrency funding system enables backers to easily fund various campaigns using a built-in crypto-payment gateway. It also includes an affiliate and referral system that tracks and manages all aspects of the promotion of ICO campaigns. The platform facilitates the payment of referrals using a CoinLaunch Token (CLT), which then can be used to purchase ICOs offered on the platform or redeemed for other cryptocurrencies.
According to their press announcement, they have thousands of users from more than 60 countries currently registered for the CoinLaunch beta program. Their platform includes an integrated compliance system that allows for any vetted ICOs to comply with various local regulations, including KYC and AML.
“CoinLaunch could be a game changer in the ICO space. As an easily accessible platform for the generation and management of ICOs, it can help enable a broader adoption of token-based products via creative and compliant funding,” says William Mougayar, a blockchain thought leader, author, investor and CoinLaunch advisor.
“ICOs are changing the funding landscape by unlocking new forms of liquidity and value creation through the use of cryptocurrency,” said Reuven Cohen, co-founder of CoinLaunch. “We believe that traditional forms of value creation such as equity-centric funding and fiat-based currencies will not be the primary mechanism of future economic growth. ICOs offer an attractive alternative to venture capitalists and a more secure and liquid option for crowd-centric funding. One of the advantages of CoinLaunch is that because it uses cryptocurrency, there are no transaction fees. A campaign backer just needs to send Ether to the ICO contract address. We track and manage the rest.”
Whether first or not, it will be interesting to see how the platform can attract the crowds and those offering ICOs and ITOs, particularly those leery of doing the homework to understand and safeguard themselves from the volatility of the cryptocurrency markets and still shifting sands of branching and rapid developments in blockchain implementation.
[Disclaimer: VizWorld.com is registered as a CoinLaunch affiliate and may list ICO offers from CoinLaunch elsewhere on this site, in areas designated both for advertising and editorial content.]
