ICOs, or initial coin offerings, are now old news. Just ⛄months ago, the novelty of crowdfunding via the blockchain and a booming cryptocurrency market was enough to attract new investors, but . Previously, startups with little to offer the marketplace but a decentralized spin on an old concept could generate millions of dollars in minutes, but investors are now intensifying their scrutiny. Their motivation used to be quick profit, though as markets wise up to new trends, they must invest (and not speculate) based on merit.

Anyone can write a w🍌hite paper, generate a smart contract and publish their wallet address. Would-be investors must now all but ignore the blockchain aspect of a potential investment,𒁃 and instead look at factors like the team, product, and timeline – like they did before ICOs were even an option. However, there are still great opportunities out there for those willing to do research.

1. Energi Mine

This upcoming ICO is courtesy of a UK-based company called , founded in 2016. That they’ve waited over a♈ year to launch their ICO is encouraging, especially given the complexity a𒈔nd potential of their product. The company employs artificial intelligence and the blockchain to manage the energy usage of large clients, and incentivizes energy conservation through its ETK token.

The global energy market is worth $2 trillion, and capturing a piece of it could be 🐠a lucrative opportunity. A decentralized platform for using energy will allow peers to trade energy between themselves, and will reward participants who display energy-efficient behavior.

2. Gladius

A unique offering in the world of blockchain, aims to help users increase the security and speed of their websites. Participants can “rent” their computers’ spare bandwidth and processing power in exchange for tokens, and then use these tokens to pay for a private, decentralized hosting solution using th✅e network’s collective power. This solution will render DDoS attacks and other threats harmless, and create a fast, sඣafe environment for people to operate online.

Keep an eye out for the public sale, which starts November 1^st, 2017. The white paper and team composi🅰tion are impressive, making this ICO one t💝hat the market is likely to jump on.

3. Dether

has an answer to one of cryptocurrency’s biggest questions: how do we get regular people to use it? There are many who understand the importance of finding real world applications for cryptocurrency, but Dether is one of the few t♕o offer a realistic solution. The company makes it possible for people to purchase Ethereum with cash, either online or from anyone on the street who already has it. The application turns Ethereum holders into PTMs (people teller machines), wh🔴o can transact with others and with retail shops using their smartphones.

The Dether application’s powerful, yet simple functionality make it a likely candidate for those❀ looking to add a new ICO to their portܫfolio.

4. EOS

While has already raised a , their ICO doesn’t officially end until June of 2018. The system all✅ows smart contract blockchains to process transactions much more efficiently, through a proprietary process called parallel execution. By separating the authentication from the execution procꦛesses, generating role-based permission and more, EOS provides a smart contract infrastructure that can process over 100,000 transactions per second.

This type of solution is largely B2B, which is a good sign for investors. As blockchain moves from the consumer realm to benefit large companiℱes and institutions, investors in ICOs like EOS gain value with increased adoption.

5. CanYa

uses the power of cryptocurrency to run their platform where people can list services and hire others, all with CanYa Coins. To push 🏅wider adoption of crypto, companies must provide pre-built marketplaces and literally deliver a functional use case to the average consumer.𒁏 This is a notion that CanYa understands well, and it’s evident when reading their blog, whitepaper, and even communicating with them on Slack. It’s also encouraging that the company has such a well-rounded team.

The first stage of the ICO begins in mid-October, and though there will be only 60,000,000 coins released, those who participate during the presale get an extra 400% on their investment. Whether to see the value of the coin increase as its popularity does, or simp⛄ly to get a discount on the coins you’ll use to hire someone to mow your lawn, smart crypto fans will get in as soon as they can.

6. Privatix

In a world where Russia and China are , a decentralized s🐬olution based on blockchain has obvious value.  has built an Ethereum-powered peer-to-peer product that takes spare power from its users and gives them access to powerful, distributed proxy software. Whether to get past China’s “Great Firewall” or simply to watch Netflix in a foreign country, the benefits of such a system are immense.

Users who help run the network for others are paid in tokens, which in tuꩲrn can be utilized to use the P🅺rivatix VPN. If not for return on investment, one should contribute to this October 19 ICO for the product itself.

Finding Blockchain’s Killer App

While blockchain is certainly a revolutionary technology, it can no longer be pr🍸esented as a standalone feature for a new startup. Companies must make smart use of blockchain as a software-like solution, prove the value of their idea, and speak about their team and timeline rather than the future value of their token. In this way, vetting ICOs for investment becomes much easier, and highly rewards those who can separate the great concepts from the novel.