Yesterday's evening, and this morning I spent studying the question - How not to get on the scam-project?
- Learn the economy of the token
ICO companies are evaluated in the same way as venture ones, but taking into account the token (a token is a company commitment, a smart contract that has value - Inc.). On the company page in the section token design or token economy you can see how the token is designed. If the task of the venture is to sell more, the task of the crypto company is to make the tokens grow in value. If the startup tokens grow - then there are real users, activity, investors. If the tokens fall, the company will die. Is the material security required for the token (the Russian startup ZrCoin attracted $ 7 million in ICO in May, the cost of 1 kg of zirconia-Inc. is based on the token)? No. First of all, tokens should be used by real people who are interested in the product. The larger the community of such people - this can be both investors and ordinary users - the higher the capitalization of the crypto company. Those who say that crypto-currencies are not provided with anything, just do not understand how the community works, and do not believe in its strength. The more people are loyal to the product and use it in their daily work, the more real money is behind it.
№2
Choose start-ups that build communities
A crypto-currency economy or economy 3.0 is primarily a community economy. All successful start-ups, who collected millions of dollars at the ICO in a few days, built a strong community. This is the whole Silicon Valley: companies create their community and develop the product, relying on a real user experience. The base of loyal users is even more important than the profitability from the first days: Instagram did not earn a penny, but at the purchase it was estimated at $ 1 billion.
In the case of crypto companies, the logic is the same: if you are making a protocol for developers, first of all you must create a community around the idea, then around the first open code, etc. After that, raising funds through the ICO will have a tremendous synergistic effect.
No. 3
Avoid loud names and slogans
A promising CEO collects millions of dollars in a few seconds on the sale of "payments" - and only makes an interface for the translation of the air, with a commission. Sometimes the radiance around the startup is achieved at the expense of famous people. This is described in detail on the website of the US Securities and Exchange Commission under How To Avoid Fraud. Halo effect, frequent team change, lack of relevant experience, muddy people with questionable background raise your risks.
№4
Meet the Founders
Study the fawners - talk to them, find out where they come from, how they came to IT, what kind of education they have. Gather references from those who worked with them, punch the founders of the company on sites and bases. The chances that a person with a good reputation will be lost with your money is reduced.
Anton Zanimonets founded several start-ups (Psychofriend.ru, a platform for business networking at WebsterEvent.ru events, a cleaning automation system in Mermaid hotels). In 2015, he co-founded the web developer Iconic Mobile. In 2016 he founded the crypto fund Iskander.vc, which advises start-ups and investors, is engaged in marketing and investments. Currently, Iskander.vc employs more than 20 people around the world.
№5
Choose start-ups that connect to each other
Invest in companies related to each other - they will not collapse: you will not remove the vertebra without breaking your spine.
Decentralized start-ups are even more reliable and stable than conventional venture capitalists. A venture startup can fall apart if the founder and technical director leaves, and the decentralized may well survive the departure of one of the founders, at the very least, fork (fork, or technical separation - Inc.) and develop further. What is good about cryptoeconomics - the protocols of ether and bitcoin will exist without Vitalik Buterina or Satoshi Nakamoto: they will shortly fall in price, but then they will continue to develop.