Have you ever wondered what you would do if you had all the money in the world? Everyone has. But we take it to be just daydreaming.

According to researchers, at least in the US, while entering the top 20% income distribution can be achieved through education and hard work, entering the top 1% is almost impossible if you don’t have a wealthy background.

It’s also well known that nobody becomes rich by saving up under the mattress. You could take 20% of your income each month and save it, but if you’re making $50 or $60 k a year (rough averages for the US and EU), it’ll take you around 65 years to get to your first million. That’s a bad deal.

Check any publication on the matter, you’ll see one thing: millionaires and billionaires get to be so by investing. You don’t break into the top 1% by working and drawing a salary, but by making your money work for you.

Nowadays, thanks to digital currencies and ICOs, investing is easier than ever. You can find investing opportunities everywhere. Some are quite risky (a few are scams). But big risk means big rewards.

In this list, we’ll showcase some of the most profitable ICOs to take off in 2018. Some might make you a millionaire if you’re ready to take some risk.

But first, let’s see previous ICOs so you can see what we mean by big rewards.

The Top 10 Most profitable ICOs ever

It’s no news that some ICOs have yielded amazing returns. But if you do the math, it becomes almost unbelievable just how amazing this returns have been.

Check Ethereum, one of the most popular cryptocurrencies right now (and the basic code for most ICOs). Since its ICO, Ethereum has seen a pant-dropping 229615% increase.

That’s almost 2300 thousand dollars for each dollar invested. Picture you had bought some at its ICO. For $100, you could now afford a sports car. For $1000, you’d be a multi-millionaire.

And that doesn’t even compare to what you could have got for a $1000 investment in NXT. If you had purchased $1000 worth of it, it would now be worth a mind-shattering eight million dollars.

Bet you’re feeling like you missed those. Well, don’t feel bad. Let’s break down our picks for the next big thing in the ICO world.

Our Top 5 ICOs that might make you a millionaire

We’ve selected our top 5 pick for ICOs running this year that may make you millions. The selection is based on the potential growth, all around hype and the strengths that come with each product and the team behind it. We’ve also pointed out some of the risk factors, so you can see both sides of the coin.

#1 TON [Telegram]

The product

TON (short for Telegram Open Network) emerged as a solution to problems common to all cryptocurrencies. The idea is simple: give blockchains a common foundation so they’re more easily accessible. The TON architecture is designed to allow for three things:

Speed and scalability

Easy-to-use interface

Wide user-base

Its flexibility would also make it the perfect base for uses other than exchange, such as storage or automated transactions.

It would be integrated to the Telegram app, with which most crypto-enthusiasts are already familiar. This implies a direct access to their almost 200 million monthly users, and is a very valuable asset on itself. The idea is quite good, and somewhat resembles Kik’s KIN token. We’ll have to wait and see whether it takes off.

Why it might make you a millionaire

First off: user base. One of crypto’s main hurdles is that its there’s not enough users yet to make it universal. If the Telegram team manage to integrate TON into their apps, and make every instance of the app a secure personal wallet, it’d be major hit.

TON would instantly become the world’s most widely used cryptocurrency. And if they can build, on top of that, all the functionality they propose, it could reshape the internet.

Also, Telegram is an already well-known brand and a strong player in the digital arena, so they have a name to backup their claims. And besides, TON has accumulated hype in the past weeks. If it’s sustained, even quick selling investors may find a good reason to get in on it early.

The risk

There’s three things to keep in mind. First off, the good old ‘don’t believe the hype’. The idea is sound, but the team has yet to make it a reality. And that’s a steep hill to climb.

It’s one thing to build a message app and another to revolutionize the internet with blockchain in every phone.

Second: the task is either huge or not worth it. KIN is a suitable comparison: big message app developer wants to introduce blockchain en masse. But you either change internet forever or end up with Paypal for hipsters. And that depends on functionality. Which brings us to the third.

Without use, the instantly generated user base may evaporate. Easy come, easy go. To keep them, Telegram has to build its platform, made it user-ready in a small window of time and add functionality, without disrupting its user base in the transition.

Bonus Tip

Feasibility aside, the idea behind KIN showcases one of the most radical uses of blockchain: hardware interconnection. Like a neural network, blockchain allows for processing power to be shared through a common, digital architecture. We may not be at that point yet, but a time may come when the internet is just one big supercomputer, with each of our devices acting as operating nodes.

#2 Kodak ICO

The product

Who hasn’t heard of Kodak?

Most of us over 20 have owned and used a traditional Kodak camera, and recall a time in which the brand laid dominance on all things photography. And now, Kodak’s withering road on the digital world has taken them to launch KODAKCoin in 2018.

The token is designed to protect photographers’ digital rights using blockchain. The core concept is simple: digital photographs will carry their creator’s info, becoming fully traceable. This is attractive to every photographer out there, and it’s surely a nice use of blockchain’s capabilities.

Why it might make you a millionaire

Let’s ask again. Who hasn’t heard of Kodak? A brand with such a long history has a name and legacy to back-up their endeavours. Besides, if anyone knows anything about photography it’s Kodak, right?

Also, although there are other ways to track digital rights, blockchain may indeed be the best to track intellectual property rights’ holders. And that’s thanks to integration. In an ideal setting, the hashing (or branding, if you like) of the photographs could be almost instantaneous (a word with a history of its own in photography). Combine that with the most futuristic, internet connected digital cameras, and it could prove an invaluable tool to professionals and amateurs alike.

The risk

We’re gonna ask one last time. Who hasn’t heard of Kodak? Although legacy counts for a lot in the business world, when it comes to tech, you have to be famous for doing the right thing. Kodak has failed in the past, especially when it came to adapting to the digital sphere. If they can’t change this history, the photography platform may just be poorly managed and all around clumsy (assuming they get the tech running in the first place).

Besides, even though it sounds like a nice way to track digital rights, it’s not necessarily an appropriate tool to enforce them. Thus, incentives, especially for professional photographers, would be slim. If the blockchain is integrated in more expensive devices, this hurdle could prove to be twice as hard to overcome. Kodak’s negatives may indeed overcome their golden age successes.

Bonus Tip

Every once in a while, intellectual property rights become an issue. Those of us with more internet hours on our backs are aware of the amount of piracy going on, and how little social pressure there is on maintaining some intellectual property rights. Independent artists and studios still have people’s hearts with them, but Disney-sized giants don’t. So, maybe intellectual property rights will get disrupted through social and political shakes. This would leave Kodak’s token as a solution to a no longer existing problem.

#3 Cointed Token

The product

Cointed is a company with a mission. They’ve set out to change money using crypto. They’ve already set up a network of Crypto ATM machines in Austria and several other European countries. Their token is called CTD and it facilitates acquisition of the ATMs.

The devices by themselves are highly functional, coming in one-way and two-way varieties, allowing users to exchange crypto to fiat and back again. Also, their low transaction fees make the platform easy to use and accessible.

This also counts for making crypto more widely available and attractive to not just investors, but ordinary users. Imagine if using crypto could be as simple as a credit card (which Cointed is also developing).

Why it might make you a millionaire

Cointed is a functioning company, and their ATMs are already operating, so it’s safe to say that their tech and management are sound. They have also been successful so far, so it’s not a question of whether they can be, but if they can improve their returns by upping their game. Cointed is even working on a banking license, so they’re willing to go the extra mile to secure their success.

Also, if they succeed, the whole crypto world succeeds.

Crypto ATMs are quite recent, but their tariffs and costs are unbearable right now. If Cointed can change that, crypto will break into the “real” world like a rockstar coming onstage. And we can’t wait to see that happen.

The risk

The hardest part of being ahead your time is everyone that isn’t. Especially big governments and banking institutions. Not only will banks (both private and central) will probably frown on the notion of decentralized money ATMs being as common as gas stations, but more than likely governments will want to set up some restrictions on it.

Cointed are getting a banking license in Austria, but they plan to take their business international. If governments want to crack down on them, maybe they won’t fly as far and high as they’re shooting for.

Bonus Tip

It’s refreshing to see someone break the mold every once in a while. Some companies and teams take lightly the notion of a community when they launch their ICOs. A few engage and communicate with their investors. But after getting some bad mouth about their inner practices, with an ex partner claiming Cointed had taken credit for their products, the team took the time and effort to launch a full transparency report. A rare but fine treat, it goes to show their team is serious and willing to keep their base. They might have just turned a bad thing into an opportunity to shine. This also sets them further apart from traditional financial institutions, which are not the most popular right now.

Also everyone who contributes 20 ETH or more gets a free crypto debit card.

#4 ATF

The product

AgroTech Farming is an already established Russian company specializing in indoor hydroponic farming equipment. They have developed and constructed, a futuristic looking appliance to grow vegetables indoors without effort or previous knowledge. The ATF homegrower is app-controlled and comes in two models: Strawberry, made for growing three different small crops and cannabis, suitable to grow cannabis plants or any other tall crop.

The ICO aims to fund ATF’s hard footing in Canada and the US, where the market for medicinal and recreational cannabis, combined with the ever growing need for organic produce shape the ideal demand in those big markets. The token is called the ATF, and it has two main uses: discounts for buying and shipping the appliances and the possibility of conversion to shares, so it’s also aimed at investors (professional and amateur alike).

Why it might make you a millionaire

This ICO has many signs of a killer deal. The company and product are already set up, so it’s not a gamble to see whether they can build what they promise, they’re past that point. These are not dreamers but serious businessmen.

Also, the demand for their grower rests on an already well-established demand: the US and Canada cannot produce enough organic veggies and Cannabis for its growing consumers. That’s why you can see big bumps on prices for organic products.

Also, it’s a cool idea to fall behind: easy to make, affordable, safe organic food for everyone? Count us in. Medicinal Cannabis Oil free of pesticides and additives? Double that.

The risk

Check out their appliance. It looks like it has been taken straight out of an Asimov novel. Maybe we are not ready for a world in which we all grow our food inside our own hose in a sort of magic shelf. Besides, the device is a bit pricey, and it can be tricky to sell at first. Finally, if you happen to be against cannabis for some reason, you may not want to take part in this.

Bonus Tip

ATF’s research on cannabis demand in the US and Canada looks quite promising. Obviously, they’re riding the green rush in North America to full extent. Besides, using an ICO to take control of a market is a creative spin on ICOs in general. We’ve also checked their notion of organic cannabis. The argument is sound: if you want to avoid pesticides in your foods, you definitely want to avoid them in your meds. All cannabis enthusiasts have a good reason to check this up.

#5 Envion

The product

Envion’s device is a pretty neat idea that combines solar-power, high-tech mining and a global community.

It’s all based on electricity prices. Solar power plants generate an overcapacity. This means that sometimes, they make much more energy than is demanded. So, price plummets, but only at the source.

Envion has set out to distribute mobile mining devices that can make use of this cheap energy, generating usable heat and mining crypto. All supervised using their custom made platform. Hardware is neat and well engineered and designed, but Envion has also set up a blockchain network to connect their soon to be raised army of miners.

Why it might make you a millionaire

The idea tackles big issues in the crypto world: energy prices and environmental impact. We already know bitcoin mining is seriously hurting the planet, using jaw-dropping amounts of energy. This, by the way, does not come cheap. By using overabundant solar energy, both hurdles are avoided.

One major hit is also the mining use for the technology. Blockchain that helps mine crypto is a good recipe for high returns.

The global community of Envion miners, interconnected through dedicated house-made software is also a solid base to run on. Finally, their tech is not just sound, but patent-protected, so the risk of copycats is limited.

The risk

EVN is hard to get. Unlike most tokens, you have to provide personal data and some documentation. Of course, these are justified, because miners become sort of ambassadors of this brand. Still, a harder process means less people will take the time and effort to join this futuristic army.

Shipping and manufacturing costs are also problematic, so while promised returns are big, bigger starting investments may be required.

This means Envion will rely more on professional users, ready to dedicate resources and time, so the crowd is not as big as could be, and will demand a lot from them. Envion will have to show nerve and organizing power to set up and manage their community.

Bonus Tip

Envion has focused on a big issue the crypto world faces today. We crypto enthusiasts can’t just turn our backs on keeping the environment undamaged.

While the biggest argument against crypto mining is false (namely, that it has no inherent use-value) it is true that the usefulness of crypto and blockchain are on their initial steps.

Picture this. If car manufacturers had known of climate change and what the product was slowly causing, wouldn’t you judge them as irresponsible and short sighted if they did nothing? We would.

That’s why we must meet the challenge of green mining. It’s quite possible, and a lot of companies have already fallen in line.

Ride the ICO Wave

As we said right at the start, becoming rich is about investing. Smart investing in turn is not about avoiding risks, but taking them intelligently.

Instead of just saving up under your mattress, try a different approach in 2018. Here’s our pick on some cool, calculated risks one can take this year in hopes of making your first million.

Remember one not only invests in tech. When it comes to ICO’s and blockchain, the product is important, but so is the team behind it and the community it springs.

ICO’s and blockchain tech are hooking, because of the vast array of possibilities. We no longer think of crypto as just a means to exchange value, but a platform on which to create more, divergent value. Blockchain is here to stay and sweep feet in a lot of industries.

Ours is a good list to start off 2018 the right way, but keep your eyes peeled. Who knows. Maybe you’ll spot the right risk at the right time.

And it might just make you a millionaire. Always make sure to read the latest Bitcoin News, so you don’t miss good opportunities.

Disclaimer: This is not intended as investment advice. Only invest while completely sure of your choice and with adequate counseling. Investing is a personal financial decision, for which the investor is fully responsible.