Quant World Canada Conference, November 9, 2017 Toronto

1. ICO (Initial Coin Offering)
A crash course on the revolutionary
funding vehicle
Mukhtar Mussabetov
BlockSpace Labs Inc.
Quant World Canada Conference
November 9, 2017, Toronto

2. Monthly New ICO Funding
Mukhtar Mussabetov bit.ly/ico-expert
Source: coindesk.com

3. All-Time Cumulative ICO Funding
Mukhtar Mussabetov bit.ly/ico-expert
Source: coindesk.com

4. All-Time Top 10 ICOs
Mukhtar Mussabetov bit.ly/ico-expert
Source: icorium.com
Total ICOs to date: 1,478
Past: 852
Ongoing: 438
Scheduled: 188
Max raised: $262M
Average raised: $14M

5. ICOs by Industry
Mukhtar Mussabetov bit.ly/ico-expert
Source: icorium.com

6. ICO Map
Mukhtar Mussabetov bit.ly/ico-expert
Source: icorium.com

7. So what is an ICO?
• ICO is an evolution and combination of the
following concepts and technologies:
– Offshore zones - anonymity, outside national
regulation
– Crowdfunding – early stage funding;
– Penny stock – low or no minimums;
– IPO – public investment;
– Open source – transparency of transactions
Mukhtar Mussabetov bit.ly/ico-expert

8. Key decentralization facts about ICO:
• A token is a hard-to-regulate, digital asset;
• Instant funding accessible for startups right after
completion of a token sale and higher liquidity for
token holders;
• More distributed ownership, where traditional
investors may not have special privileges;
• Global fundraising. Most blockchain startups are
global by definition, and with cryptocurrencies spread
around the world, anyone can buy tokens;
• No need in Silicon Valley – now traditional hubs are
less attractive or defunct.
Mukhtar Mussabetov bit.ly/ico-expert

9. General Observations
• Millions can be raised in matter of hours or even
minutes. Brave Browser raised $35M in less than 1
min.;
• If people around the world are willing to cooperate, no
Government or regulator can stop it;
• Collective wisdom is maturing pretty fast and
outpacing any official regulations;
• People may want to re-evaluate personal risks and give
up low interest options (savings accounts, mutual
funds, etc.)
• There is a growing interest from non-blockchain
startups.
Mukhtar Mussabetov bit.ly/ico-expert

10. Canada: regulation
• Banking regulation pushed away
cryptocurrency exchanges: Kraken, Coinsetter,
Coinbase
• Ethereum (born in Toronto) but registered in
Switzerland
• Regulator sandboxes: Ontario & Quebec
Mukhtar Mussabetov bit.ly/ico-expert

11. Welcome to the new, brave world
of cooperative funding!
Thank you!
Mukhtar Mussabetov
bit.ly/ico-expert