Compared to the rigidity of investing in traditional tech ventures, crypto funding is much more flexible and, in many ways, innovative. While early-stage startups in the crypto space occasionally rely on mainstream Silicon Valley venture capital to help them achieve funding milestones, most Web3 projects prefer the convenience of token launches to court investment.
In the aftermath of the fraud-ridden ICO boom of 2017, where an estimated 80 percent of projects were scams, the blockchain industry leveraged its innovative spirit to introduce alternative funding options such as IEOs (initial exchange offerings) and IDOs (initial decentralized exchange offerings).
As IDOs become a hit for innovative early-stage projects, cryptocurrency launchpads became the favored option for Web3 startups interested in undergoing an IDO. Of late, these token launchpads have become more advanced, providing innovative methods to Pool liquidity to help support projects while expanding their offerings to include incubation and acceleration services.
Seedify: More than just gaming
Known for launching some of Web3’s most popular games, Seedify caters to Web3 sectors such as decentralized finance, AI/Big Data, and NFTs. Hailed by many as one of the top launchpads, Seedify also boasts an incubator that leverages specific expert-based community involvement programs, ensuring all project types receive the most meaningful guidance and feedback from advisors.
Seedfiy has structured its vast ecosystem with products, features, and mechanisms that support each other while creating value for its organization and participating projects. The launchpad features a nine-tier method for investing in projects, with the first tier based on a lottery system for the allocation process, while the remaining eight tiers guarantee allocation for participants.
Gems: A VIP launchpad experience
The newly established Gems launchpad takes a radically different approach to the standard model by adding an element of exclusivity. As a community-driven launchpad centered around an exclusive investor network, Gems aims to provide both projects and investors with a mutually beneficial platform. Investors benefit from Gems’s careful selection process that hand-picks only the most promising early-stage projects. Startups then gain access to a global network of Leaders eager to invest and advise projects with disruptive potential.
In just 11 months since the launchpad’s debut, Gems enabled its first three projects to raise $198 million combined. By bringing together a community of 4,000 investment leaders and their respective networks of retail investors, the launchpad connects dependable liquidity with the most worthy projects, cultivating a robust ecosystem. Going forward, Gems is currently developing an exchange to provide further value to its budding ecosystem.
DAO Maker: Catering to all
DAO Maker has been one of the most successful crypto launchpads and incubators of the last few years, helping launch numerous successful projects that include Orion Protocol, Chronicle, Tenet, and My Neighbor Alice. The platform allows startups to secure VC funds by helping investors identify safe IDOs in which to participate. DAO Maker works diligently with the young projects it launches by providing expertise specifically around community building.
Retail investors play a big role in the DAO Pad, which is geared toward small-scale investors, by enabling them to invest in digital assets and stocks at an early stage. In addition to its renowned investing model, DAO Maker incubates early-stage projects across the Web3 landscape providing consultatory services while incentivizing users with mining rewards.
ChainGPT: Merging AI and blockchain
Founded, in 2023, ChainGPT offers a laundry list of products and services that infuse AI with blockchain and crypto, but the ChainGPT Pad serves as its backbone. With a heavy focus on AI projects, ChainGPT Pad supports all varieties of Web3 projects for its decentralized fundraising and incubation platform. Its incubation program promotes a selective class of emerging projects and guides them in transforming their visions into a viable business model, assisting with product development, smart contract implementation, and social media engagement.
Recognized by CryptoRank as the top IDO launchpad last year, ChainGPT Pad introduces a structured IDO approach featuring three distinct rounds including guaranteed allocation for top-tier stakers and a “first come, first served” round. This mechanism allows for a level playing field without compromising optimal liquidity provisions.
Polkastarter: Fuelling interoperability
As the launchpad arm of the Polkadot ecosystem, Polkastarter also serves as a protocol for cross-chain token Pools and auctions, which enables projects in its launchpad to raise capital within a permissionless and interoperable environment. Polkastarter employs a unique mechanism known as the “Pool Generation Event” which ensures fair token distribution, provides users with early access to tokens, and empowers them to engage with liquidity provision at the onset of a project launch.
As a driver of cross-chain interactions, Polkastarter supports IDOs across most major blockchains including Ethereum, BNB Chain, Solana, Polkadot, Polygon, Avalanche, and Celo. Through its launchpad, Polkastarter enables a wide range of Web3 projects to build their own fixed-chain swap Pools, which provides a secure outlet for raising funds, while users benefit from investing in a risk-free environment.