How It Sparked a Blockchain Funding Revolution

Before there were thousands of tokens and billion-dollar launchpads, there was one ICO — the project that started it all. In 2013, a modest but groundbreaking crypto event laid the foundation for an entirely new way of raising capital.

What Was the First ICO?

The first Initial Coin Offering (ICO) was launched by a little-known project called Mastercoin (later rebranded as Omni). In July 2013, the team raised over 5,000 BTC — worth about $500,000 at the time — in exchange for their token. It was a bold experiment: raise money directly from the public, bypassing traditional venture capital, and fund the development of new blockchain features.

The ICO model was born — and crypto would never be the same.

Why It Mattered

Mastercoin introduced the concept of:

• Token-based fundraising
• Crowdsourcing via smart contracts
• Public participation in early-stage blockchain innovation

It allowed everyday crypto holders to invest in infrastructure-level blockchain projects — not just trade coins.

Even though Mastercoin itself didn’t reach mainstream adoption, the model it introduced became the blueprint for Ethereum’s own ICO in 2014, which raised $18 million — a historic milestone that helped define the second generation of blockchain.

The Ripple Effect

Since that first ICO:

• Over 7,000 ICOs have taken place across various chains.
• ICOs raised over $40 billion between 2016–2018 alone.
• The model evolved into IDOs, STOs, IEOs, and fair launches — but the core idea remains the same: democratized funding through token distribution.

Then vs. Now

Soon to be launched $nftXc Coin.

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