
How do to an ICO if you have a startup idea? - FahadUddin92
If I have an idea and I want to raise money using ICO, what should be the roadmap?
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rando444
(1) Copy a coin that already exists (filecoin, etc.)

(2) Get wealthy investors.. be good at powerpoint and bullshitting.

(3) Pre-mine a bunch of your coin. Don't respond to anyone that calls you out
on this.

(4) Hype the shit out of it using puppet accounts, russian botnets, instagram
advertisements.. pay for publicity.

(5) Use your wealthy investors to make your coin worth X amount of BTC at
launch. Cash out a large portion of your coin quickly after launch just in
case, and then wait for other people to buy your coin because general
investors are clueless.. if you ride that wave, cash out more over time.

(6) Open a hamburger stand or charity.. something to give back to society and
to decrease boredom.

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sova
Wow I think you actually nailed it and I'm in peels.

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Pyxl101
Based on recent statements and enforcement actions from the SEC, I would
highly recommend _against_ considering "ICOs" as a way to "raise money".

ICOs for the purpose of raising money are likely to an investment contract
under SEC rules. If your offering is an investment contract, then the
transaction is considered a security and is subject to SEC requirements.

In other words, don't expect an ICO to be a simpler or easier or better way to
raise money. It's not. Start by reading the SEC bulletin on Coin Initial
Offerings:

[https://www.sec.gov/oiea/investor-alerts-and-
bulletins/ib_co...](https://www.sec.gov/oiea/investor-alerts-and-
bulletins/ib_coinofferings)

Not all coin offerings are necessarily securities, but if you're viewing it as
a way to raise money, then it almost certainly will be. To determine whether
an offering is likely to be a security, consider the Howey Test, which is a
test created by the US Supreme Court for whether a transaction represents an
investment (and thus may be regulated by the SEC). The test is whether:

(1) It is an investment of money (2) There is an expectation of profits from
the investment (3) The investment of money is in a common enterprise (4) Any
profit comes from the efforts of a promoter or third party

If you are selling coins in an ICO with the promise of profit for the coin
holders; if the money will be invested in your enterprise; if the coin holders
are expecting to profit based on your efforts or those of others, then the ICO
is likely to be a security.

Here is one example of an investigation by the SEC into one coin offering (the
DAO), where it was determined to be a security:
[https://www.sec.gov/litigation/investreport/34-81207.pdf](https://www.sec.gov/litigation/investreport/34-81207.pdf)

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2trill2spill
1) Talk to a lawyer, there is a chance your ICO could be considered selling
securities and doing so without being licensed could get you into legal
trouble[1].

[1]: [https://www.sec.gov/oiea/investor-alerts-and-
bulletins/ib_co...](https://www.sec.gov/oiea/investor-alerts-and-
bulletins/ib_coinofferings)

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QML
The first question you shouldn’t be asking is how to have an ICO, but why do
you NEED an ICO? What’s the role of tokens in your idea? Otherwise you’re just
buying into the hype that is blockchain.

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mtmail
One item on the roadmap could be considering using
[https://ico.indiegogo.com/](https://ico.indiegogo.com/) who have lawyers
reviewing compliance and it acts as marketing channel. Like with other
crowdfunding the platform helps you concentrate more on the startup itself.

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Serhiom
Try to research the list of ICO. Idea, Whitepaper, Team, Milestones, etc There
are more than 1200+ ICOs [https://icomarks.com/](https://icomarks.com/)

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sova
step 1: accumulate a lot of bitcoin step 2: use the accumulated bitcoin to
prove your new ICO has a value rooted in an already established coin step 3:
offer an initial price for the first however-many units of your coin step 4:
get your coin popular enough to be on the exchanges eventually

Bonus points / better chances if your coin does something in a new way, or
using the cryptographic puzzle solving step to do something useful like Fold
Proteins.

Many ICOs are not at all rooted in BTC. Something like IOTA is backed by just
under 1337 BTC.

Imagine BTC as the gold in fort knox and any new coin you want to make as a
currency that needs to be backed in gold, this is my advice.

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kaicianflone
Look up the Truffle Ethereum Development Framework. Take a look into the Coin
creation sample and work it out from there.

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nnn1234
Don't. If the idea is soldi enough, I would suggest a RegA+ offering

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magicfoxs
Also make sure that tokens have nothing to do with the performance of your
company to get around regulations

