Jay Derenthal
Use cases for the underlying concept and technical structure of ICOs are evolving beyond “issuance of digital coins and utility tokens” and into “issuance of smart, programmable, securitized tokens.” This evolution has created a growing demand for end-to-end launch platform solutions for ICOs and STOs. The essential strategic, tactical, technical, and legal components outlined in this article can be used as a checklist when shopping for the best full-stack token offering platform.
Below is a bullet-pointed outline of the key elements that characterize the best turnkey launch platforms. These are the strategic, tactical, technical, and legal components of a token launch platform that enables the establishment of optimal tokenomics, a solid technical and legal foundation, and the ability to reach the hard cap.
STRATEGIC
Winning is rarely certain. However, nailing down a clear strategy at the heart of your token offering project makes it less difficult.
There are a lot of utility and security token offerings vying for the attention of investors. Your project must set itself apart from its competitors, not by simply being better at what it does, but by being better and different at what it does through the design, planning, and implementation of the strategic components listed below.
Concept validation of a use case and tokenomic model that leverages the blockchain network effect and nurtures transparency.
Team acquisition and structuring, including strategic partnering and advisor onboarding.
White paper copywriting that documents, among many other things, the viability of the tokenomic use case as applied to the project’s service or product and its potential for token value appreciation.
Corporate identity, brand creation, logo design, and website conceptualization and layout design.
Project and token issuance roadmapping.
Sales rounds structuring.
Token pricing, allocation, and circulating supply determinations.
Discounting structure.
Lock-up and vesting periods for STOs.
Good tokenomic modeling and token sales strategy are about making choices and trade-offs. The strategies listed above must be carefully formulated, documented, and implemented via broad and deep collaborative brainstorming and planning between the project team, its advisors, and the platform provider’s token sale experts.
TACTICAL
The token offering tactics listed below must be roadmapped into a chronological order that creates the most cost-effective set of actions necessary to achieve the project’s goals, with a budget carefully calibrated to be adequate but not excessive.
Company incorporation.
Banking setup.
Marketing plan and budget.
Token name selection.
Seed funding and early-backer engagement.
Website development and deployment, logo design, and white paper look & feel refinement.
Website conversion optimization via analytics and A/B or multivariate testing.
Team credentials disambiguation with credible and absorbing LinkedIn, AngelList, and Twitter profiles (founders, in-house generalists and specialists, partners, and advisors).
Mobile development and security.
Press releases and other promotional communications.
Professionally-designed pitch deck with a cover slide, executive summary (problem, premise, proposed solution), ‘why now’ marketplace validation, market size substantiation, business model, and competition and competitive advantage.
One-pager pdf for print and email.
Explainer video.
SEO (optional depending on length of “seed to public sale” period).
Content marketing, including Medium, YouTube, and Quora.
Media kit (optional)
Influencer outreach.
Community building and reputation/sentiment management where appropriate for the nature of the project. May include SMM, forums, ICO and STO rating sites, chat apps, newsletter copywriting and list building, and advertising and other paid media (Bitcointalk, Reddit, Telegram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Slack, Discord, AWeber, banner ads, etc.).
Roadshow & conference planning.
Affiliate/bounty program and airdrops development and deployment.
KYC/AML/PEP vetting and whitelisting for STOs.
Escrow setup.
Wire transfer management.
Exchange listings. Public, OTC, and broker exchanges hold around 0.15–0.25% of transaction volume as the fee for hosting your token on their platform. In contrast, peer-to-peer exchanges usually allow the buyer and seller to decide on the discount applied to the sale.
Tax planning.
Though the tactical items listed above should be planned, budgeted, and implemented with the utmost diligence, even the best and most well-planned set of token offering tactics requires that the project team, its advisors, and the platform provider’s tactical consultant be fast on their feet, adaptive, and able to pivot thoughtfully at key moments. Strategy will dictate the set of tactics necessary to reach a set of goals; however, if the goalposts move, the tactics must move to match them.
Regarding team profiling on the token offering website, know that investors are alarmed the moment they spot a fundamental incongruency on the website’s “Team” page for a founder or any other key employee when compared with the LinkedIn profile or what a Google search reveals about the same person. If the project team feels that posting manufactured or fallacious profiles is a good idea, they have no business selling digital tokens.
TECHNICAL
Your ICO project begins with a consultation with our technical experts, who will discuss your token concept and find the best tokenomic model for your goals and the long-term valuation of your token.
Before suggesting a tokenomic model, we assess many factors, including determining if your token is a utility or security token offering (as per Malta’s VFA act or your home jurisdiction), specified token behavior, lock-up times, vesting structures, post-ICO transferability limitations, burn rates affecting token supply, and target pricing.
Defining your tokenomic strategy at an early stage is crucial to the long-term success of your ICO, potentially affecting long-term price and value. A robust token strategy provides the basis for a steady increase in value, supported by solid fundamentals.
Our ICO technical consultants will then propose a tokenomic model, which includes token issuance and allocation, discounting structure for early investors, lock-up and vesting periods, proposed circulating supply, and pricing strategies.
We also offer several other technical services that can be integrated with or built upon your successful ICO sale.
Custom Smart Contract Development
Smart contracts are self-executing contracts on the blockchain, which experts believe may be the future of business innovation.
First, you’ll notice that everywhere you look, you see Ethereum at the center. Ethereum — the world standard for stable and secure smart contract functionality, with an enormous and enthusiastic developer community — is the ideal blockchain technology platform on which to launch.
ICO Launch Malta’s experts will develop your smart contract, with integrated KYC-AML, automated investor whitelisting, and multi-tier models within our ICO platform. Our code is developed in-service at a significant price advantage.
Our smart contracts have undergone rigorous third-party audits; however, the client may opt for a second independent audit and run a bug bounty program to validate security with a wider test base.
Once your smart contract is signed-off, our development team will deploy and test its functionality to ensure it performs as intended. With your smart contract ready to go, you can launch via our ICO platform.
Requisite for any successful token offering is a project manager and coding team with a history of developing and implementing robust, stable, and secure blockchain technology and smart contracts.
Below is a list of the essential technical components. These must be understood in full by your in-house and platform provider technical teams.
Blockchain platform selection, whether Ethereum, Waves, NEO, NEM, NXT, BitShares, Stellar or a custom build using one of many consensus algorithms.
For ICOs: configuration of upgradable utility token built on the ERC-20 or another technical standard.
For STOs: configuration of upgradable security token built on ERC-20, Polymath ST-20, or another technical standard for fractional ownership, dividend payments, or profit share, with vesting period and transfer limitations.
GitHub for project and team management, documentation, code review, integrations, and social coding.
Mining or minting process structuring and coding if applicable.
Smart contract design and coding for quick and safe token sales, semi-automated KYC/AML, and whitelisting integration.
Beta testing and testnet trialing.
Development and testing of a maximally secure subdomain and backend admin dashboard from which to run token sales.
Development and deployment of a robust multi-signature wallet to secure raised funds.
Investor cabinet development with a web-based dashboard for wallet creation and token balance monitoring, and, optionally, external cryptocurrencies or other token or fiat trading functionality, multi-factor authorization, and/or a tiered referral program.
Affiliate/bounty tracking setup.
Blockchain and smart contract auditing.
Token-swap functionality development and deployment.
OTC liquidity provisioning.
If you are coming up short when assembling your technical team, think beyond the big jobs sites like Indeed and Dice, and consider placing ads on some industry-specific job boards like LinkedIn Blockchain Jobs and Crypto Jobs List.
LEGAL
You should choose a full-stack token offering platform with an experienced crypto-sector law team, in-house or on retainer. Below are the essential legal components that a token offering platform must provide.
Reviews and legal opinions for the business model, token model, and white paper.
Prospectus and other securities documentation and disclosures for STOs.
Development of operational procedures for converting a portion of funds received from the token sale into fiat currency or cryptocurrency for project development, implementation, and marketing.
If you need further legal counsel, finding a token offering attorney who is not only available but also not overworked and stretched too thin may be challenging. If you must look outward for legal counsel because of jurisdictional or other concerns, the best place to start may be a Google search for blockchain attorneys.
ICO LAUNCH PLATFORM
Executing a successful ICO is a challenging endeavor. Tasks such as attracting investors, managing affiliates, and performing KYC-AML require significant funds, time, and resources; when all you want is more time to develop your product.
That’s why ICO Launch Malta has developed an innovative ICO platform that lets you easily manage every aspect of your ICO. In addition to expert ICO technical services, we provide access to our stand-alone ICO platform, guiding your project from inception to launch.
All-in-One ICO Command Centre
A turnkey solution for your ICO launch, our feature-rich ICO platform includes seamless investor onboarding, integrated KYC-AML procedures, multi-signature wallets to safeguard investor funds, full brand customization, live chat integration, multiple payment method support, affiliate tracking, reporting, and more, all accessible through a single intuitive platform.
You can think of our ICO platform as your token sale’s command center, where you can track payments, approve new customers, provide live support, and take charge of your ICO effortlessly, providing you with valuable time and resources to focus on further development.
Our ICO platform is your token sale’s command center, where you track payments, approve new customers, provide live support, and take charge of your ICO effortlessly. ICO Launch Malta’s feature-rich ICO platform includes:
seamless investor onboarding
integrated KYC-AML procedures
multi-signature wallets to safeguard investor funds
full brand customization
live chat integration
multiple payment method support
affiliate tracking
—all accessible through a single intuitive platform.
Onboarding
Our ICO platform signs up investors using their email, without passwords, offering ease of access while maintaining the unparalleled security of 2FA validation.
ICOs come in all shapes and sizes. So do your customers. Offer them flexible ways to invest using a variety of fiat or cryptocurrencies using our ICO payment system.
AML / KYC
Do you truly know your customer? ICO Launch Malta integrates cutting-edge CDD software from Onfido and ComplyAdvantage, whitelists new investors with ease, and ensures regulatory AML/KYC compliance.
Full Brand Customization
Our ICO platform, with your brand identity. Full platform customization, from logos, titles, and taglines; to live chat integration, terms & conditions, and tailored support emails.
Data Export Compile and export investor, sales, and payments data easily as a .CSV file, enabling streamlined data aggregation and analysis.
Mobile Ready
Two-thirds of all internet traffic will come from mobile devices by the end of 2018. That’s why our ICO platform is fully mobile-ready and compatible.
Manual Whitelist Procedure
Occasionally, an investor may have issues with automated KYC- AML procedures, but you shouldn’t have to exclude that investor from participating in your sale. Our ICO platform allows administrators to be at critical stages of your ICO offering.
Bounty Tracking
Bounty schemes and affiliate marketing are great ways to get your ICO noticed and attract new investors, but tracking and paying affiliates can be time-consuming. Our ICO platform features full bounty and affiliate program tracking, built on the RefToken.io technology stack. RefToken provides independent, third-party token sale attribution from within the ICO platform, tracing affiliate and bounty referrals.
Bank transfer support
Our ICO platform features integrated bank wire functionality, facilitating the participation of institutional investors, venture capitalists, crypto and mutual funds, and ultra-high net worth individuals who may not routinely hold Ethereum or other cryptocurrencies required to participate in your token sale.
By offering fiat payments through our ICO platform, your ICO will gain exposure to a wider clientele, raising higher levels of capital and bringing you closer to your hard cap.
Are you stuck for ICO banking options? We can help you out on that front too.
Multi-Signature Wallet
Filling investors with assurance that their funds are held securely and responsibly instills trust in your ICO and meets regulatory requirements.
That’s why we provide all our ICO clients with a robust, multi-signature, ERC-20-compatible wallet with an impeccable security record.
CONCLUSION
The best launch platform will encompass a full stack checklist of all the stages of your token generation event, including technology, fundraising, legal, marketing, landing page, white paper, launch and completion, and listing the token on exchanges to achieve liquidity.
Building a tokenomic model which validates the project’s need for its own token on a blockchain
Devising a robust tokenomic strategy that supports token price stability
Smart contract programming
Token configuration, auditing, functionality battle-testing, and minting by a team of in-house blockchain developers
White paper preparation with a roadmap and a description of technological, commercial, and funding principles
Multi-channel marketing
Whitelisting and integrated implementation of KYC and AML checks
Establishing a robust multi-signature ERC-20 compatible wallet to secure funds raised
Wire transfer management
Affiliate, airdrop, and bug bounty program creation and management with automated tracking and payouts
Custodial and other security of funds, including escrow service by a licensed government fiduciary agency
SAFT with a clear and conservative path to compliance with current securities laws and regulations
Your full-stack token offering provider can also help your project succeed after the conclusion of your ICO or STO. It can, for example, provide token listing solutions. Post-ICO/STO success may depend, more or less (ICO ‘more,’ STO ‘less’), upon how quickly your tokens appear on an exchange. The establishment of liquidity confirms token legitimacy and raises the market cap. List your token on the public, OTC, broker, and peer-to-peer exchanges for which it is approved.
The Maltese government believes blockchain can help transform the country’s transportation, legislative, and education systems. Maltese minister for transportation, Dr. Ian Borg, recently stated, “Blockchain technology is a key part of our overall national technology strategy that will see us transform different sectors across government.”
Malta, the “Blockchain Island,” is the ideal place to find the best launch platform due to its fully-formed and light-touch token regulation, low taxation, and EU and Eurozone membership. Besides having the world’s most friendly token regulatory environment, Malta is trailblazing blockchain use cases beyond cryptocurrency applications.
The rewards for hiring a Malta ICO Launch can be immense. Investor confidence is the key to ensuring you achieve your soft cap, so include details of your engagement with us in your ICO literature. Everything considered, Malta is the obvious country in which to choose the best token launch platform. Given the amounts of money involved and the risks to reputation, choosing ICO Launch Malta is a cost-effective way to ensure success.
© 2018 Jay Derenthal, ICO Launch Malta | jay@icomalta.com
Twitter @ICO_Malta
606, Dragonara Business Centre, Dragonara Road
St Julians, STJ 3141, Sliema, Malta
ICO Launch Malta provides tailored ICO and STO solutions to startups and established companies seeking funding and exchange listings.
Our in-house blockchain developers specialize in creating cryptographic equivalents of traditional financial instruments.
Our marketing team excels at below-the-line marketing and crafting compelling narratives to optimize fundraising outcomes.
Our expertise extends to tokenizing various assets, including art collections, fractional real estate projects, asset-backed offerings, investment funds, and blockchain bonds.
We ensure compliance by operating from Malta, an EU and Eurozone member, with favorable regulations.
We prioritize stringent KYC and AML verification on our ICO platform, which includes sanction and watchlist checks to ensure compliance and security.
Through our partnerships with licensed corporate service providers, we offer assistance with company incorporation, legal reviews, token sale agreements, and ICO-related legal and tax advice.