By Noemi Ruth

Bitcoin has been the center of the cryptocurrency industry since its inception in 2009. In 2014, the feature-length documentary, The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin, was an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival. The digital currency continued to dominate the spotlight, especially in December 2017, when its value hit $20,000 USD. If you thought that the Bitcoin frenzy was as exciting as it can get, think again. The cryptocurrency industry is just starting to come alive, like a chick emerging from its shell after the first crack.

With the impressive success of Bitcoin, it is not surprising that tech-savvy entrepreneurs are collaborating in an effort to carve their own space in the digital currency niche.

Cryptocurrency is spreading like an uncontrolled wildfire, with a plethora of startups popping up every month creating their own digital currency. And why not? A new form of currency that is based on a decentralised, unregulated, transparent, and safe platform is an enticing prospect for investors.

On the downside, this disruption in the financial sector has caught the attention of banks, governments, regulators, and giant tech platforms. Facebook and Twitter have banned crypto-related ads. Banks in Canada and Chile have put a stop to accounts linked to cryptocurrency. Politicians have declared that cryptocurrency exchanges and traders will be placed under closer scrutiny.

In spite of these setbacks, the crypto industry continues to move forward. Startups and established financial entities launch new cryptocurrency platforms every day.

So, if you’ve been beating yourself up for not getting in early with Bitcoin (and other popular cryptocurrencies today), there are still many opportunities to invest. You just need to keep an eye out for new initial coin offerings, or ICOs. Note, however, that you should not consider this piece as investment advice. It is written purely for informational purposes and does not serve as endorsement of any kind.

What is an ICO?

Imagine a startup has this idea to create a new cryptocurrency system for a “freelancers for hire” platform. While these already exist (Upwork and Fiverr, for example), the idea is to streamline the payment system — to make it digital, faster, and more secure with an added encryption. It’s brilliant, right?

But how does the startup get the money to create a new currency? It has the option to approach a bank for a loan or find investors, but it will need collateral for the former and give up equity for the latter.

This is where an ICO comes into the picture.

With an ICO, a startup can raise funds to create new cryptocurrency without having to give up anything.

How is this possible, and how does this work exactly?

The startup lays out its idea in paper, including the tiniest details of its plan. This document is essentially a white paper explaining how the system will operate. The startup then launches a website for the coin, making sure prospective investors understand what the system wants to achieve, why it’s an excellent idea, how people will find it useful, and then they make people an offer they can’t refuse.

Bottom line: people find themselves in a position where they will want to invest (send the startup money), often using Bitcoin or Ethereum. In exchange for their investment, the startup gives them the new coin.

What’s in it for the investors? They bank on the adoption of the new cryptocurrency, that it will be used a lot. This will increase the value of the coin, giving the investors good return on their money.

Examples of Popular ICOs

How reliable are ICOs? The cryptocurrency industry is volatile by nature, but there are a lot of ICOs that have given the market a boost.

Data from Coinist reveals the 10 most popular ICOs based on the funds raised at the time of their launch. ICO token price refers to how much an investor pays for one token of the new currency. All amounts shown are in US dollars.

1. Filecoin

Amount raised: $257,000,000

ICO token price: $5

2. Tezos

Amount raised: $232,000,000

ICO token price: $0.5

3. EOS

Amount raised: $180,000,000

ICO token price: $0.925

4. SIRIN LABS Token (SRN)

Amount raised: $157,885,825

ICO token price: $0.47

5. Bancor

Amount raised: $153,000,000

ICO token price: $3.86

6. Status

Amount raised: $108,000,000

ICO token price: $0.036

7. Aragon

Amount raised: $73,000,000

ICO token price: $0.917

8. DomRaider

Amount raised: $65,890,000

ICO token price: $0.12

9. WAX

Amount raised: $64,000,000

ICO token price: $0.9884

10. Gnosis

Amount raised: $63,000,000

ICO token price: $25.51

As the cryptocurrency industry evolves, the popularity of ICOs also evolve. The Revain dashboard showcases ICOs which are currently most popular based the platform’s ranking system, which takes user reviews into consideration. Here are the top five ICOs from the Revian dashboard. All amounts are in US dollars.

1. NEO

Price: $64.0561

Rating: 4.7 stars

2. Ethereum

Price: $686.979

Rating: 4.6 stars

3. Revain

Price: $0.86367

Rating: 4.3 stars

4. Substratum

Price: $0.594618

Rating: 4.9 stars

5. Stellar

Price: $0.323294

Rating: 4.7 stars

Active ICOs

The cryptocurrency landscape is moving so quickly that it is almost impossible to keep up with new ICOs. It is important to realise that ICOs come with a lot of uncertainty. There is the inherent risk that the new cryptocurrency won’t catch on, and you’ll lose your investment. Investing is also risky because of the prevalence of fake ICOs.

That being said, with due diligence, investing in new cryptocurrency can give your assets a massive boost. If you want to get in on the ground floor of potential blockbusters, you need to keep a watchful eye. If you’re ready to invest right now, here are 10 active ICOs to consider.

1. Pointium

Pointium is a global decentralised platform for points management and loyalty programs.

Token: PNT

Payment accepted: ETH

Ends: May 29, 2018

2. Gamblica

Gamblica is an international gaming platform created by players for players.

Token: GMBC

Payment accepted: BTC, ETH

Ends: June 1, 2018

3. Neoplay

Neoplay is a cross-network global dicing platform. It is built on the NEO and Ethereum platforms.

Token: NPLAY/EPLAY

Payment accepted: EUR, USD, BTC, ETH, LTC, XVG, XMR

Ends: June 5, 2018

4. Galleon Quest IO

Galleon Quest plans to launch a new digital-backed cryptocurrency from ancient sunken treasures, which are to be recovered and preserved as assets.

Token: SEA

Payment accepted: BTC, ETH, and others

Ends: June 28, 2018

5. Wixlar

Wixlar is a global decentralised digital currency using blockchain. It offers instant, secure financial transactions with lower fees.

Token: WIX

Payment accepted: NEO, ETH

Ends: June 30, 2018

6. IoTeX

IoTex is the decentralised network for the Internet of Things. With the use of this digital currency, IoTex hopes to push adoption of IoT.

Token: IOTX

Payment accepted: ETH

Ends:July 2018

7. SecureDonation

SecureDonation allows people to send or receive donations in a fast and secure manner, providing a tracking system that assures donors the intended parties receive the funds.

Token: XSD

Payment accepted: ETH

Ends:July 31, 2018

8.Deedcoin ICO

Deedcoin aims to disrupt the real estate industry by saving users up to 80% on real estate commission.

Token: DEED

Payment accepted: ETH, BTC, LTC, Fiat

Ends: December 31, 2018

9. SocialGood

SocialGood partners with businesses (creating the Social Good Ecosystem) to give customers cash back rewards using the cryptocurrency. A portion of the reward will automatically be donated to charitable organizations.

Token: SG

Payment accepted: ETH, BTC, USD

Ends: December 23, 2018

10. ZeCash ICO

ZeCash aims to be the next Bitcoin, offering a proprietary solution to cryptocurrency transactions for e-commerce, private payments, online business, and retails stores.

Token: ZCH

Payment accepted: ETH, BTC, XMR, DASH, BCH, LTC

Ends: December 31, 2018

Upcoming ICOs

The first quarter of 2018 was a bumpy one for investors in major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, whose values spiraled. While these investors were left reeling, other startups saw hope — their projects now have a better chance of succeeding without astronomical values to compete with from the get go. New investors have more options to get in the game early with budding cryptocurrencies.

If you’re looking at investing further down the road, here are 10 upcoming ICOs to watch out for. These ICOs have been chosen based on the strength and potential of their underlying projects.

1. Digitize Coin

With Digitize Coin, consumers can convert loose change to digital currency at the point of a retail transaction. The project eliminates a problem everyone experiences — having to carry around loose change or losing them entirely.

Token: DTZ

Payment accepted: ETH

Starts: May 31, 2018

2. Ternio

Ternio is the blockchain for programmatic advertising, enabling publishers to get paid instantaneously instead of monthly or quarterly. The platform also prevents ad frauds by getting rid of the problem of bots, ensuring that ads reach real, targeted consumers.

Token: TERN

Payment accepted: BTC, ETH, XLM, WIRE

Starts: June 1, 2018

3. CVProof

CVProof aims to avoid CV fraud by authenticating credentials. It lowers the cost of the vetting process for employers, which is considerable especially in heavily regulated and training-oriented industries.

Token: INK

Payment accepted: ETH

Starts: June 1, 2018

4. The Rouge Project

The Rouge Project introduces coupons to the world of blockchain, promising lower costs and eliminating the need for middlemen. The ultimate goal is to create a system that generates “non-falsifiable, non-repudiable and unique usage” coupons.

Token: RGE

Payment accepted: ETH

Starts: June 4, 2018

5. Monetizr

Monetizr taps into the goldmine that is mobile gaming. It empowers game developers by allowing them to create in-game currencies to reward users. These rewards increase user engagement and retention, resulting in higher revenue.

Token: MTZ

Payment accepted: ETH, BTC, USD

Starts: June 18, 2018

6. Starflow

Starflow provides a secure platform for digital entertainment creators and influencers where they own and control their content, thereby increasing their earnings and retaining their freedom. With mainstream platforms like YouTube cracking down on censorship, Starflow is an enticing alternative.

Token: TM-STAR

Payment accepted: ETH

Starts: July 4, 2018

7. Cryptyk

Cryptyk is a counter-intuitive solution to enterprise cloud data management. It works on the premise that any storage system will inevitably be hacked, so their solution is to “make it easy” for hackers to steal data. However, the stolen data will be rendered useless due to the Cryptyk’s proprietary system.

Token: CTK

Payment accepted: ETH, USD

Starts: July 18, 2018

8. BolttCoin

BolttCoin touts itself as the world’s first ever “Digital Health Coin”. It is the blockchain equivalent of health-based rewards systems using fitness trackers. With BolttCoin, users can mine the cryptocurrency as they walk. More activities, P2P games, and tournaments are to be announced in the future.

Token: BOLTT

Payment accepted: ETH, BTC, LTC

Starts: August 1, 2018

9. Invest in Brokers

Invest in Brokers enables new investors to succeed in the cryptocurrency market. The project addresses common problems new investors face — lack of technical knowledge, lack of time for research, and lack of experience in the crypto market — by allowing them to subscribe to an experienced investor’s transactions, learning in real-time. At the same time, the experienced investor earns via a subscription payment platform.

Token: INV

Payment accepted: ETH

Starts: August 15, 2018

10. Atlas Protocol

This project connects advertisers, publishers, and users directly in token-based digital marketing, taking out the middleman. This ICO is particularly interesting, being the brainchild of two senior software engineers from Google who are taking their former employer on. The details of the project have yet to be announced, but monitor this ICO closely as it has massive potential.

While the tides of the cryptocurrency industry may toss new tokens’ values up and down like a piece of driftwood, these ICOs have solid projects as backups, giving them strong potential to be in the game for the long haul and emerge as victors.

Note: This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.