A new approach to crypto fundraising is gaining traction as Web3 startups increasingly bypass traditional venture capital in favor of community-driven, institutional-grade launchpads. Institutional-grade crypto crowdfunding platforms such as “CoinList” and “Republic” now have nearly 8 million users, and have supported 30+ projects with more than $1 billion since 2017, launching tier 1 projects including Solana, Filecoin, and Flow to become household names. Now these platforms are powering the next wave of token distribution, providing not only passive capital, but large-scale blockchain onboarding & usage, global brand creation, & faster time-to-market.
The trend has been propelled by oversubscribed public sales, improved contributor frameworks, and growing disillusionment with opaque VC allocations that often sideline retail backers. With 100+ token sales expected in the second half of 2025 & 2026, a new industry-disruptive narrative is forming; institutional crypto crowdfunding platforms are no longer niche infrastructures, they are becoming the default route for high-potential web3 projects targeting the top 100 on CoinMarketCap.
Launchpad-Led Mega Launches
Earlier this year, WalletConnect’s WCT token raised $10 million across multiple platforms in one of the cycle’s notable multi-venue launches. U.S.-based CoinList, a spin-out of AngelList, followed with additional offerings including Obol, Bitlayer, and DoubleZero, using a karma-based system to reward engagement. Republic, backed by Galaxy Digital, has surpassed $120 million raised through its token launchpad. Separately, Echo introduced its modular Sonar token-sale stack, enabling self-hosted and compliance-friendly sales for early-stage projects.
The July debut of Kaito Capital Launchpad added social-reputation allocation, AI-driven analytics, and Base-chain-native offerings. Its first sale, Espresso, featured allocation caps, multi-stage vesting, and redistribution of platform fees via the KAITO token (traded on Binance)
Value Over Capital: Contributor-Centric Platforms
A newer generation of launchpads emphasizes rewarding active contributors, not just investors. SeedList, based in Singapore, seeks to make capital formation smarter, fairer, and more global by removing VCs altogether from its contributors and reallocating that capital to KOLs.
SeedList distinguishes itself by using AI-powered merit-based allocation, which dynamically assesses technical contributions, KOL influence, and community engagement when assigning token access. Rather than relying on lotteries or staking thresholds, the platform favors meaningful participation, particularly from underrepresented non-U.S. jurisdictions:
“We’re aiming to build upon the foundation that industry disruptors like CoinList & Republic have built. If the WalletConnect sale is an example, then institutions, KOLs, & retail investors can co-exist and fund projects together, all adding value. Bitget’’s LaunchX sold out $4M allocation within two hours, with over $170M in pledges from 40,000 investors. CoinList was even more impressive, attracting contributors from 100 different countries.” said SeedList co-founder Brijesh Patel, during a closed investor briefing.
“We’d like to leverage their success but instead of using a lottery system we intend to rely on merit and engagement as evaluated by our AI system and real input by establishing a pre-vetted network of several tiers of contributors. We remove passive VC capital altogether and give that allocation to value-add strategic partners such as KOLs, CEX & ecosystem-affiliated VCs, as well as retail microinfluencers. Doing so we think we can create launches that are 5x to 10x as impactful to a project’s market value, blockchain usage and global brand. Quite simply we think everyone who adds value should be able to get into the Seed round of Tier 1 crypto projects.”
Unlike CoinList & Republic, SeedList is intentionally focused on non-fiat and non-crypto custody paths that enable early-stage access to token sales without common legal complexities. With a global-first approach and relationships across exchanges and KOL networks, SeedList aims to onboard KOLs, strategic partners, and micro-influencers to pre-seed and seed-stage opportunities that have often been reserved for insiders and VCs.
SeedList is backed by industry veterans. Co-founder Brijesh Patel is a former partner at Pronomos Capital, a VC firm focused on decentralized cities and backed by Marc Andreessen (a16z), Balaji Srinivasan (former Coinbase CTO), the Winklevoss twins (Gemini; early Facebook era), and Naval Ravikant (founder of AngelList, parent of CoinList). Another co-founder is Rosa Pagani, CEO of WhiteBIT Australia, a division of WhiteBIT Global, one of Europe’s largest crypto exchanges with approximately 8 million users.
SeedList co-founder and Solana ecosystem veteran CryptoSheldon added context on the market narrative:
“We believe crypto venture capital and funding is broken and has evolved to benefit only a privileged few. SeedList was founded upon a desire to fix the elephant in the room, the lack of equality and meritocracy in crypto investing. We want to more accurately incentivize all the contributors in the crypto project value-chain, from crypto attorneys, developers, and advisors, to the exchanges such as Bybit or Binance, ecosystem foundations such as Solana or Avalanche, value-add & niche-focused VCs that support projects years past their launch, KOL influencers such as Mr. Beast who can reach tens of millions of users on X (Twitter), YouTube, & TikTok and of course retail investors, many of which are microinfluencers and can help a project’s blockchain & token usage and message go viral”.
CryptoSheldon continues, “Industry disruptors such as Kaito and Cobie’s Echo have already shown this can work. Echo sold out $500K of WalletConnect in just 11 seconds, showcasing the power of AI and community momentum. We think that in 2026 platforms such as SeedList as well as Echo, Kaito, & CoinList will become not only an option, but the preferred go-to launch vehicle for top-100 CoinMarketCap target market crypto projects. We are witnessing a long-overdue, major change to the way the crypto industry works with venture capital firms and influencers and in which we fund crypto projects as a whole, one that has grown out of frustration from over 20 years of inequality and a lack of transparency in technology investing. It’s time we give power back to the people and help the crypto community back the seed, not the suits.”
What Comes Next
As of mid-2025, distinctions between launchpad, exchange, and VC are narrowing. Institutional and AI-focused crowdfunding platforms are embedding compliance, analytics, and liquidity into capital formation. Projects can raise substantial sums while building global communities, driving on-chain engagement, and launching with stronger day-one price discovery.
Several major token launches are already scheduled for Q3–Q4 2025, spanning DePIN networks, AI-native protocols, and L2 infrastructure. With smarter allocation and deeper emphasis on real participation, 2026 may mark a broader shift toward large-scale, institutional-grade crypto crowdfunding launchpads like CoinList, SeedList, Echo, Kaito, & Republic as default go-to-market paths for crypto founders.
