How to Successfuly launch a Token — Methodology from Day 1 until TGE

10 min readMay 30, 2024

The importance of an Orchestrating Success

In a world where blockchain and cryptocurrencies are revolutionizing our approach to finance, commerce, and investment, launching a token is a path increasingly explored by entrepreneurs and innovators. However, navigating the intricacies of this complex process requires rigorous preparation and a thorough understanding of the dynamics at play.

The success of your project depends not only on a revolutionary idea or cutting-edge technology, but also on carefully orchestrating the contributions of various constituent groups, each of whom plays a critical role at different stages of development.

From the initial ideation to the launch of the token on an exchange, each phase of the project requires specific expertise, be it legal, financial, technical or marketing. The importance of collaboration between investors, developers, legal advisors and others cannot be underestimated.

This article aims to detail the steps involved in successfully launching a token project, highlighting the critical milestones and the indispensable role of each constituent.

We’ll start by defining the players involved and then provide a roadmap. This roadmap is designed to help project owners effectively plan, execute and manage their initiative to maximize the chances of success in a competitive marketplace. We take the liberty of highlighting the role of a Tokenomics Entity as a key partner in your project, throughout its deployment.

Key project partners:

1. Lawyers (Legal Team)

Continuous and fundamental role : Lawyers are essential at every stage of your project’s launch, providing legal expertise from incorporation to the more passive stages of waiting for licenses. Your lawyer is also a strategic point of contact for establishing relationships with other key partners.

2. Investors

Venture Capital & Love Money : We distinguish between two types of investors. Investors such as Venture Capitalists and institutional players on the one hand, and friends & family on the other, who make up love money (a term commonly used to describe funds invested in a company or project by people close to the founder or management team, such as family, friends or acquaintances).

3. The Core Team

Presence from A to Z: The Core Team is the backbone of the project, committed from start to finish, and focused on overall management and project strategy. This team is usually augmented by :

The Techical Team, which is the heart of your project’s technical development. They are responsible for implementing the technical layer, developing contracts, and any other technical infrastructure required. They work closely with the Tokenomics Entity (see below) to ensure that the technical aspects support the economic goals of the token. Their role is crucial not only in the design phase, but also in maintaining and continuously improving the system after launch.
There are two schools of thought: outsource this entity, or bring it completely in-house as soon as possible (see below).
The Marketing team. This team is responsible for defining and implementing the overall marketing strategy for the project, creating and managing promotional content, coordinating advertising campaigns, and ensuring dynamic interaction with the community through social networks and forums. Their expertise is critical to raising awareness of the project, building user loyalty and attracting investors by maintaining a strong, consistent brand image.

4. Accelerators

Reinforcement and Network: The purpose of the accelerator is to expand your network, provide moral support, and compare you to other similar projects, which is essential for attracting funding and strengthening the team’s competence.

5. Auditors

Insurance and Security : Auditors check the security of smart contracts but also the viability of the project’s tokenomics. They detect vulnerabilities and flaws in both these areas. Their role is to provide assurance of reliability to the community. The cost of their service can be high.

Key platforms, players and mechanisms for the launch and stability of tokens

- Launchpad

Portal launch and visibility : a Launchpad serves as an initial platform to present the project to potential investors and provides advice and support on marketing and launch strategy. Getting a place on a Launchpad is a challenge, especially during bull markets, but it’s essential to get a high market cap from day one and therefore more liquidity after token appreciation.

- Centralized Exchanges (CEX)

Liquidity Facilitators: CEXs play a critical role in providing a stable platform for token trading, increasing the liquidity needed to attract and maintain a large user base. They are essential for reaching the maximum number of users and maintaining the value of the token.

- Decentralized Exchange (DEX)

Autonomous Alternatives: DEXs allow tokens to be traded in a decentralized framework, serving as a Plan B in the event of CEX closure or unavailability. They provide a secure and transparent alternative that promotes project autonomy and resilience.

- Market Makers

Market stability guarantors: Market makers are essential to the liquidity and stability of the token market. They work behind the scenes to facilitate transactions, reduce volatility and maintain an attractive market for investors. Their ability to handle large transactions without disrupting the market is critical to managing large investor exits.

- Liquidity Locker

Long-Term Stability Insurance: The Liquidity Locker is a mechanism which plays a security role by blocking a portion of the cash generated during the TGE (Token Generation Event) or Token Sales. This reassures investors that funds will not be withdrawn prematurely, thereby increasing confidence in the sustainability of the project. It also helps to manage token issuance schedules and vesting periods, ensuring a balanced distribution of tokens in the market.

The critical role of tokenomics in a project

Tokenomics Entity

Strategic Partner: Often outsourced to specialized entities such as Nomiks, tokenomics management can also be brought in-house. In this case, we recommend integrating your strategies from the beginning of the project development. This includes aligning every technical and strategic decision with the intended business model, adopting an iterative approach to testing and adjusting the business model based on market feedback and performance, and developing specialized tokenomics skills within the team.
Economic Pivot: The tokenomist plays an integral role from the initial build and fundraising phase, and continues to influence the Token Generation Event (TGE). This early involvement ensures that the token’s economic structure is perfectly aligned with the project’s long-term goals and investor expectations.
Rigor and Forecasting: A good token-economy (i.e., the art or science of tokenomics applied to your project) requires a rigorous approach based on quantitative analysis to model different economic scenarios and forecast their potential impact. It aims to ensure the long-term stability and viability of the token, reducing the risk of excessive volatility and market manipulation.

Roadmap

Our business experience at Nomiks has enabled us to identify the involvement of these parties over time. A synoptic table shows at a glance the roles and contributions of each player at each key stage of the project, using the deadline of the token generation event as a reference (TGE).

Let’s remind that the TGE is the key moment in a project’s lifecycle when tokens are created and distributed to investors, participants, or users. This process is often associated with fundraising, where tokens are sold to raise the capital needed to develop the project. TGEs are similar to Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) in this regard, although the term TGE is sometimes used to emphasize the creation and distribution of tokens rather than the financial aspect of fundraising.

Detailed month-by-month countdown

Bootstrap : Month 18 until Month 14 before TGE

Build & Fundraise : Month 14 until Month 10 before TGE -

Accelerators: Growth Catalysts for Startups

In the context of a token launch, an accelerator plays a critical role in helping startups quickly reach their potential. These entities provide support in the form of resources, funding, and intensive mentoring over a period of time, often a few months. Their primary goal is to accelerate the development of startups by providing them with the tools and connections they need to succeed in a competitive marketplace.

Examples of Accelerators.

Outlier Ventures: Founded in 2014, Outlier Ventures is one of the first gas pedals dedicated to supporting the growth of blockchain startups. They provide not only funding, but also access to an extensive network of mentors, technology experts, and strategic partners. Their program is designed to help companies refine their business model, develop robust tokenomics strategies, and effectively launch their token.
Alliance: Alliance focuses specifically on supporting projects in the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. Their approach is customized for each startup, tailoring resources and mentoring to the specific needs of the entrepreneurs. This may include intensive working sessions with crypto specialists, regulatory experts and market leaders.
Beacon: With a focus on innovation and disruptive technologies, Beacon provides a platform where startups can experiment and develop their products under the guidance of thought leaders and industry innovators. Their program is designed to prepare startups for major fundraising and successful token launches with a focus on security, scalability and user adoption.

At this stage, the Tokenomics Entity begins to play a key role in developing the economic design of your project. Its expertise is essential in designing an economic structure that supports both long-term viability and investor appeal. It works closely with the other parties to ensure that the token’s business model is robust, balanced and ready to meet market demands.

Start Delivering & Testing : Month 10 until Month 6 before TGE

In this phase, the tokenomics team adjusts the token’s economic strategy based on initial feedback and preliminary analysis of your data. Their ongoing involvement is crucial in fine-tuning the economic structure of your project to ensure it is perfectly aligned with market expectations and investor needs.

Audit & Strategy: Month 6 until Month 4 before TGE

At the heart of this phase are the token engineers of the Tokenomics Entity.
They focus on economic modeling and competitive analysis, which is essential to fine-tune the token’s strategy to maximize its impact on the market. They work to fine-tune the token’s economic parameters to ensure a successful and sustainable launch by analyzing market trends, assessing risks and proposing innovative strategies to stand out in a competitive environment. Given that we are in an audit phase, it is crucial that the tokenomics entity, if it has been in-house so far, brings in an independent third party. This provides an objective view and validates the impartiality of the analyses performed, ensuring a reliable and transparent assessment of token business models.

Pre-Launch : Month 4 until Month 2 before

💡 It is important to note that if the token is not listed on a Tier 1 (e.g. Coinbase, Binance, Bybit) or Tier 2 (e.g. Kucoin, Bitget) CEX, market makers generally do not enter the fray, as managing liquidity on one or two pools is not financially attractive for them and does not provide sufficient market depth.

Tokenomics is now ready for a successful launch with a finalized and fine-tuned strategy.

Market Activation : Month 2 until Month 1 before TGE

Last month before TGE — Launch

Orchestrating Token Success by Mastering Tokenomics

The path to a token launch is complex and fraught with strategic, technical, and economic challenges. As we have explored in this article, each stage of a token launch, from concept to launch, requires careful orchestration and the involvement of several key partners.

Tokenomics, the central science behind the economic design of a token, plays a central role in each phase of the project. It not only structures the economic viability of the token, but also serves as the foundation for overall strategy and decision making. Expertise in tokenomics is critical to aligning participant incentives, optimizing token distribution and circulation, and ultimately ensuring the long-term stability and growth of the project.

As a specialized tokenomics partner, Nomiks brings undeniable value through its commitment not only to the development of tokenomics strategies, but also to its educational role. What sets us apart is our commitment to making tokenomics concepts accessible and understandable, helping project leaders navigate this complex ecosystem with confidence.

Our work with project teams is not limited to technical or economic assistance, but extends to a true strategic partnership that strengthens the ability of projects to reach their full potential. Through our holistic approach and deep expertise, Nomiks plays an essential role not only as an advisor, but also as a builder of trust and sustainable success.

The success of a token project depends on the ability to effectively integrate tokenomics throughout development and launch, and execute laser marketing campaigns. At Nomiks, we are proud to contribute to this success, ensuring that each project not only launches a token, but also establishes a robust and equitable economic foundation for the future.

Spreading the word about our field is a long-term task that we approach with equal enthusiasm and diligence. Here are just a few examples for the reader’s reference:

This article, written under the guidance of Pascal Duval, research analyst at Nomiks, is based entirely on the thoughts of Nathan, our CEO.