Relation of Bitcoin and Fundraising for Businesses
Bitcoin and Fundraising: An ICO can be best thought of as a mixture between an IPO and crowdfunding, but instead of buying shares in a company, someone is issued with their cryptocurrency. Still, there’s one significant difference: an IPO gives you ownership of the company, whereas an ICO gives you access to a particular platform or project (like how a video game might work).
So, if an ICO is not the same as buying shares in a company, why would someone buy into one?
Unlike IPOs, which are regulated by governmental bodies like the Securities Exchange Commission, ICOs are almost entirely unregulated. This means that people can invest in companies without going through any formalities that an IPO would require.
This means that ICOs are accessible to just about anyone, which has led to their rise in popularity. People can invest small amounts of money without being rich “accredited investors” like you sometimes need to be for an IPO. This barrier to entry attracts people who might not otherwise invest in a company—checkout at https://bitcoinscircuit.app/.
At the same time, there’s no guarantee that those who buy into an ICO will see any return on their money. Investors might want to research the team behind the venture and try and understand what problem they’re trying to solve before they part with their cash. Without this information, it may be difficult to understand why anyone would invest in the company or token they’re offering.
While ICOs are less regulated than IPOs, it’s still possible for companies to be prosecuted for making money off of investors without registering with the SEC (although this is rare). As a result, Ethereum created ERC-20 tokens, which can be built into the Ethereum ecosystem and allow companies to issue tokens without introducing a new cryptocurrency.
This is how it works: Say you wanted to create your coin for an ICO. The ERC-20 token acts like a software license that means that your coin is recognized as part of the Ethereum ecosystem when introduced into the system.
While this standardization might go some way to prevent fraudulent companies from taking money off investors, it’s still possible for scammers to trick people who don’t know what to look for. However, if you do your homework and understand how they work, you can find the diamonds in the rough.
The value of a coin is often derived from what problem it solves or what need it fulfils. So, before you start buying into any ICO, check out how the company plans on using its money and what problem the product is trying to solve.
If you do your research and think an ICO could be a good investment, it’s also worth remembering that there’s no guarantee they will provide a return. Like buying shares in a company, investing in an ICO is still a risk.
However, some experts think that ICOs are the future of startup funding. According to David Siemer (CEO of Wave Financial), “ICOs will eventually overtake venture capital as the best way for new companies to raise money. And the best way to get that money is to convince people their future success will make them rich.”
However, as Siemer says, it’s important to remember that investing in an ICO might not present a return.
It’s also possible for investors to be prosecuted if they don’t follow the appropriate laws and regulations. And while this might sound crazy, it’s true.
Just ask Maksim Zaslavskiy, who was recently charged for defrauding investors through his two ICOs, REcoin and Diamond Reserve Club. He was accused of raising more than $300,000 from investors after claiming that the company would use their funds to back real estate and diamond investments (when in fact, they were not).
Zaslavskiy’s ICOs are a good reminder of how seriously the SEC views unregistered investments. So, if you choose to invest in an ICO, it’s essential to know what you’re getting yourself into.
It also might be worth remembering that there are other ways to get involved in this growing industry without having to pay the high price of entry. According to Siemer, “the most exciting aspect is yet to come. I am expecting a massive multi-year bull market in altcoins. The altcoin sector has been largely ignored since its inception, with less than $10 billion total capitalizations compared to more than $200 billion for bitcoin.