Charting the Future of Launch Platforms: Insights from Korea Blockchain Week

The Korea Blockchain Week offered a compelling talk on the future of launch platforms, dubbed “The Year of Launchpads.” The discussion featured prominent figures such as Jason Teng, founder of Virtuals Protocol, Rodney Yesep, a general partner at Hack VC, and Erick Zhang, founder of Nomad Capital.

Erick Zhang, notably the founder of ICO platform Buidlpad, drew particular attention. Buidlpad is known for launching notable tokens like Solayer, Sahara AI, Lombard, and Falcon Finance. Zhang’s experience as a former executive at Binance and CoinMarketCap has undeniably shaped his vision for the platform.

Ensuring Sustainable Growth through Fair Launch Structures

Zhang emphasized that the key to robust launchpad growth lies in designing structures that encourage stable and prolonged participation—think token vesting schedules and transparency. Buidlpad projects typically feature a four-year vesting period, fostering investor alignment and ensuring long-term commitment.

In contrast, many “fair launch” meme coins are anything but, employing hundreds of addresses for manipulative appearances. Buidlpad, with its transparent operations and meticulous vesting schedules, stands as a bastion of integrity in an industry fraught with opacity.

Maintaining Competitive Edge: Innovation and Extra Features

Jason Teng of Virtuals Protocol argues that for launchpads to stay competitive, they must embrace de-aggregation. It’s not enough to simply tokenize; platforms must understand and meet creators’ broader needs.

Virtuals Protocol’s focus on AI-driven launch services illustrates this. Their “aggregated agent” provides users with informed choices by scanning multiple platforms for the best fit. Such innovations highlight how critical additional features are to maintaining competitive superiority.

Virtuals, with its extensive marketing experience and hundreds of successful token launches, consistently identifies projects with promising collaboration potential, reinforcing its market position.

VC or Community Funding: Making the Right Choice

Rodney Yesep of Hack VC, while selective with token launch investments, cites the success of ventures like Pump Fun as evidence of platforms finding unique niches. He notes the evolution toward niche discovery over zero-sum competition, highlighting the importance of loyal communities.

For projects choosing between VC or community-based funding, Yesep advises aligning the choice with project goals and founder aspirations. VC can provide rapid advancement, while community participation offers valuable engagement, often through airdrops.

Regulatory uncertainties remain a hurdle for large-scale token sales, but industry leaders like Zhang are working to alleviate these frictions, promising a smoother path for future projects.

This article originally appeared on ABMedia.