Diving into whitepapers, dissecting tokenomics, and tracking presale buzz can feel like a mountain when the presale industry is awash with scam and projects without utility, doomed to fail. ICO Fire is simple, we aim to bring the best presales to the surface, and highlight any we think you should avoid.
Whether you’re brand new to the ICO world or looking to discover some crypto presales with potential, we are here to share what we’ve learned. we’ll guide you through the noise, and hopefully help you uncover the next big thing in crypto.
We want to ICOFire.com your go-to platform for tracking the latest and most promising crypto presales, and Initial DEX Offerings (IDOs) and Initial Exchange Offerings (IEOs).
Top ICOs to watch
Here are some standout projects that have caught my attention:
🚨31st July Listing Announcement🚨 | CartelFi | PepeX |
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What is an ICO?
An ICO (Initial Coin Offering) is a fundraising method used by crypto projects to raise capital by selling their native tokens to investors. It’s often used in the early stages to fund development and marketing. Essentially, investors hope the token’s value will increase once it hits exchanges.
Here’s how it works: a project offers its native tokens in exchange for more established cryptocurrencies like Ethereum (ETH) or Tether (USDT). When buying at the presale stage, you’re not just supporting the project—you are getting something in return that might hold real value down the line.
Sometimes those tokens will have added perks like voting on project decisions, other times they’re used within the app or ecosystem the project is building.
The upside? If a project takes off, the value of the tokens could skyrocket. And because the presale stage is before the public exchange listing, you’re usually buying at a discount—the “early bird advantage” if you will.
But this isn’t free money. Dig deep into each project first—because in crypto, due diligence is everything.
How do ICOs work?
ICOs usually start with an announcement and a kind of ‘hype’ phase.
Within this, a project announces its plans, shares a whitepaper, and starts promoting the ICO, and any presale, across social and digital media.
This Pre-ICO stage as crucial—it’s where a decision should be made on whether to even keep following a project, before I’ve even considered whether to buy.
The whitepaper and audit will tell you if a project is legitimate. A little more digging and you’ll be able to see pretty quickly if the company, or people, behind the project are doxxed. In some cases you’ll be able to see any links to scams, or successful projects.
Always confirm utility. Why are people going to use this product? And ultimately, how are you going to make my money back on my initial investment.
Following announcement is the actual token sale. This will be in stages, and in some cases will be across a set time frame. In other cases, it will be based on each stage passing an amount.
The first stage of a presale will always be the cheapest.
At this point, you can buy tokens using crypto, by hooking up by wallet. Most presales will support a range of cryptocurrency for buying in – including USDT or USDC if you want to work in dollars. When buying through ETH, watch out for gas fees.
When the token sale wraps up—either because the hard cap is hit or they decide to stop—it’s time for the Post-ICO stage.
That’s when tokens can be claimed, and the project preps for launch on exchanges.
It’s like a startup raising cash from early supporters, except everything’s on-chain, and everything moves fast.
From here, the detail in the whitepaper will come to life.
How I evaluate ICOs and IDOs
Not every ICO is worthwhile. Here’s our ICO checklist:
- Whitepaper – Start here. It tells you what the project’s about, the tech behind it, and the problem it’s solving.
- Team – Dig into who’s building and working on the project. If they’re experienced and transparent, that’s a good sign. If not, walk away.
- Tokenomics – Confirm how the tokens are distributed. Is there a burn mechanism? How much goes to the team? These details matter. This will be in the whitepaper and on the project site.
- Community – Check how engaged the community is, and how the team interacts. Are they active? Are they answering questions?
We’ve seen scams before, and trust me—spotting red flags early is the best protection. That’s why we stick to a structured review process that runs through each of our presale review pieces.
Are ICOs legal?
The legality of ICOs depends on where you are.
In some countries, ICOs follow strict rules—like parts of the U.S. In others, like Switzerland, things are looser. And then you’ve got places like China, where ICOs are totally banned.
Check the legal side before investing. KYC requirements, registration rules, AML compliance—it all plays a role in whether to get involved. Again, our overviews and reviews will cover this.
How I invest safely in ICOs
A few points that help reduce risk:
- KYC Compliance – If a project requires identity verification, take it as a positive. It shows they’re playing by the rules.
- Smart Contract Audits – If there’s no audit, be cautious. Bugs or shady code can sink an ICO before it starts. Confirm where the money is going.
- Tokenomics – Look at total supply, how tokens are distributed, and how they’ll be used.
- Whitepaper & Roadmap – Ensure there’s a clear plan and real tech behind the idea.
- Team Transparency – If the developers are out in the open, with real names and experience, you’ll feel a lot more confident.
Can I make profits on ICOs?
Let’s be real—ICOs can be wildly profitable, or complete busts.
Returns depend on market trends, timing, the project’s fundamentals, and how it fits into crypto trends like gaming, metaverse, or meme coins.
A smart strategy and strong research can pay off big time—but there are no guarantees.
Some recent winners:
- Sui – From $0.10 in presale to $1.50 at launch.
- Sei – Sold at $0.015, is relatively stable at $0.19, but has hit $0.20.
But again, every win like that is backed by research and risk management.
How often do new ICOs launch?
New projects go live all the time—some run for days, others for weeks. Keep an eye out constantly, but it’s not about quantity. always hunt for quality.
Dig into the team, the whitepaper, the tokenomics, and the community before jumping in. Or use our vetted ICO list for a head start—it’s a great way to discover projects that have already passed our initial screening.