Financial regulators and governments around the world have been warning citizens about the dangers of ICOs for years with more focused crackdowns coming in 2017 and 2018, yet blockchains have not delivered another alternative (until now).

With all of the regulation and news of scamming in the ICO world, investors are looking for an alternative method to the ICO model, yet few fundraising models have proven to be safer or more successful alternatives.

ICO 101 — History of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs)

There is perhaps one exception, the Online Public Offering (OPO).

The OPO, as seen on reputable sites like StartEngine, WeFunder, and SeedVest, is becoming a top choice on major crowdfunding vehicles by some of the newest and best blockchain companies. This is especially the case in places like the USA where the regulation needed to become an ICO is extremely difficult if not impossible to undergo without infinite resources.

Although the OPO model has been around for just a few years, many investors still have not heard of it. This is partially due to all the buzz that ICOs created, stealing the limelight for the wrong reasons. However, as we now know on the backside of the ICO boom, many ICOs turned out to be scams. Just ask crypto investors in Russia where news was released this week announcing that half of Russian ICO funds were reported to have been pyramid schemes in 2017. Russia is not alone, ICOs are found to be scams all around the world.

Many reputable blockchains that are working hard on creating legitimate products are using the OPO to run successful, legitimate, SEC-regulated fundraising campaigns.

For one example of a successful OPO, look at Unicoin.life. The company’s Co-CEO Christopher Anthony chose to use an OPO model to fundraise for Unicoin instead of doing an ICO because it provides more transparency to investors.

“We liked the concept of doing an ICO but in practice, it is VERY hard for US companies and it is just horrible for winning investor trust right now. We chose to do an OPO because it is SEC-regulated and our investors get to see a vetted business plan, use of proceeds, background checks, and verifiable data on the company on a trusted platform where people can invest as little as $100 on their Credit Cards.”, said Chris.

Also, read – Is Blockchain a Hoax For Corporate? Experts Opinion

Part of Unicoin’s core mission is to provide an eco-friendly mining system called MINT. that may force the current, outdated centralized-datacenter model obsolete. With the promise of yielding 40% more processing per watt than traditional mining methods, it could be greener and more profitable.

Another example of an OPO is Elio Motors which raised nearly $17 Million using the OPO model. The featured product of the company is a three-wheeled automobile that gets 84 Miles Per Gallon. Elio Motors went on to draw the attention of the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and even the Weather Channel.

With so much uncertainty and fraud surrounding the ICO model, investors need a safer alternative so that they can put their trust back in the blockchain. It may not even be worth it to take the risk when you can access OPO platforms that are so easy to use and have all the data needed to invest. OPOs are just starting to flourish in the Crypto and Blockchain space and they are definitely worth your attention.