The 2016-2017 ICO craze birthed crypto's most hyped projects, promising to revolutionize blockchain. Seven years later, PANews examines 10 iconic ICOs - some became Bitcoin whales, others collapsed to $70K valuations, with most underperforming BTC and ETH.
The Rise and Fall of ICO Titans
Sirin Labs: $158M ICO to $70K Ghost Project
Once a Web3 smartphone pioneer with Messi endorsements, Sirin Labs' SRN token now trades at $7M market cap (98% loss). Accusations of fund misappropriation and abandoned social channels mark its demise.
👉 Explore modern Web3 investment strategies
EOS: Record $4B ICO Creates Bitcoin Billionaires
Block.one converted ETH proceeds into 14K BTC ($80B today) while EOS token languishes at **$780M market cap** - less than 10% of their BTC holdings.
Tezos: Foundation Wealth Outpaces Token Value
Despite $232M raised, XTZ's **$740M market cap trails the foundation's $760M assets**, including 5K BTC ($48M today).
Polkadot's Untouched ETH Treasury
The chain holds **306K ETH ($930M)** from its 2017 raise, dwarfing recent $870M marketing spend controversies.
Bancor's DEX Dream Fades
BNT token collapses to **$70M market cap** ($1.5B ETH raised), proving early DeFi promises unmet.
Survivors and Lessons
Filecoin's Storage Legacy
FIL maintains $2.2B valuation, proving decentralized storage's lasting appeal among 2017's cohort.
Cardano's ICO Long Game
ADA remains top-10 with $17.7B market cap, benefiting from 2015-2017's staged fundraising.
Golem's ETH Trading Mastery
From 820K ETH raised, strategic sales grew assets from $900M to $390M despite stagnant adoption.
FAQ: ICO Aftermath Explained
Q: Which ICO performed best for investors?
A: Ironically, projects like EOS/Block.one that converted to BTC outperformed their own tokens - ETH/BTC holders won.
Q: How many 2017 ICOs still exist?
A: <5% remain active; most died from failed products (Sirin), cash-outs (TenX), or mismanagement.
Q: What's the #1 lesson from ICO mania?
A: Hype ≠ sustainability. Today's ETH treasury projects (Polkadot) show disciplined fund management matters most.
Q: Could another ICO boom happen?
A: With SEC scrutiny and institutional dominance, wild-west fundraising is dead - IDOs/STOs now dominate.
👉 Discover next-gen crypto investment frameworks
Key Takeaways
- BTC/ETH consistently outperformed ICO tokens - Simplicity beat complexity
- Treasury management determined survival - Golem/Polkadot thrived via ETH holds
- Celebrity endorsements proved worthless - Messi/Sirin showed marketing ≠ product-market fit
- The DAO hack foreshadowed risks - Many projects repeated governance failures
The ICO era's legacy? A $30B graveyard of broken promises - and a roadmap for avoiding crypto's next bubble.