What to watch out for as a crowdsale supporter
Due to the numerous interesting projects they are based on and the ample hype that surrounds them, crowdsales are highly visible in the social media world, which means that e potential supporters can be found on the global level. Eligma COO Ziga Toni has ample entrepreneurial experience, and will discuss some interesting and important aspects of being a crowdsale supporter.
Could you tell us something about your professional background, how you became part of the Eligma project and how the decision to organize a crowdsale came about?
I’ve been an entrepreneur for my entire life. I founded my first web development company ten years ago, and my passion for innovation and IT technologies has always driven me towards new challenges. I met Dejan Roljic, Eligma CEO, about two years ago through my business partner Ana Lukner (now Dejan’s wife, Ana Lukner Roljic). I really liked his way of thinking and our first opportunity for collaboration came about when Ana invited me to join ABC Silicon Valley as Business Development Officer. I spent one year in the Valley, which prepared me for what was about to follow: the Eligma chapter. The core team started working on the project full-time in September last year. When we had our project blueprints ready, making a crowdsale was a logical step as there is an obvious utilization of the ELI token and the project would not be possible without it.
Congratulations on a very successful conclusion of the Eligma crowdsale. The project raised 13,178 ETH. What were the expectations of the Eligma team and what are the projections for the future?
To begin with, the supporter is the decisive factor of any crowdsale. At Eligma, we are extremely proud that the crowdsale attracted as many as 1,668 supporters from 100 different countries. The Eligma crowdsale took place at a time of very serious market fluctuations, but it is a good example that even at times like this, good-quality products will resonate with the general public. We hope that this relationship and trust will now develop further, and that our followers will become users of our products.
This brings us to an important aspect of what to watch for as a potential crowdsale supporter. One dimension is connected with project quality and credibility.
Exactly. Before deciding on any kind of participation, obtaining information about the project is essential. The most immediate factors in one’s decision-making should be the white paper and the team. The project’s scale needs to be credible and have strong development potential with a well-outlined roadmap. The team needs to be verifiable, consist of experts and also rely on a strong advisor pool. All this needs to be presented on a professional website backed by a highly responsive service team who should always be prepared to answer any questions that you might have. The very essence of all this, however, is the idea that the project is based on. One’s motivation to support something should not be the desire for the token value to rise, but the potential of the idea presented. Is the product something that we believe in, and we ourselves would buy and use as customers? If it does not convince a supporter as something you would want, then it is likely that the product will not gain customers when it hits the market.
The other thing to watch for is the common-sense safety principles which everyone should follow when deciding to send money anywhere online.
The most important things to watch for in crowdsales are the following: First of all, only communicate through the official emails on the official crowdsale website. Please check the spelling of the email address you receive an email from literally letter by letter to make sure that it is legit. The crowdsale service team never sends you private messages with special propositions just for you, and does not accept participation after the end of the crowdsale. If you receive a sudden social media message leading you to an official-looking website and offering a fantastic special offer, chances are that this is a fraud. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is. There are a lot of phishing sites out there abusing the hype of the crowdsale process and hoping that you will become less attentive. Online transactions are fast and easy; this is useful, but also dangerous. If you are in doubt and something does not seem right, always trust your common sense.
What about after the crowdsale?
During the crowdsale, the hype is an important part of its momentum. There are lots of social media messages, videos, advertisements, and everything is extremely dynamic. This reflects the nature of the contemporary consumer, whose attention requires high levels of action. I feel, however, that crowdsale supporters should be much more demanding than this. This is why I again emphasize to get oneself informed and seriously think about the long-term potential of the project. Are enough people going to buy its products down the line?
Also, check out for the latest developments of the project and its roadmap after the crowdsale. A credible project will watch out for its community. They will want you to stick around and have you as their early believers and the foundation of their customer base. They will keep communicating and have a certain amount of hype going because they will want early supporters to spread the word. So once again — is their product something that could convince a critical mass with its usefulness?
What kind of plan does Eligma have in connection with its supporters now that the crowdsale is finished?
First of all, we believe that the community of our supporters is the highest recognition we could ever receive. They are the driving force of our project and social media life, which shows enthusiasm, trust and the fact that they want us to succeed. This is why I would once again like to thank all of them. Our mission is to transform commerce by making things easier and faster for all of us buyers, sellers and consumers, and we always keep asking ourselves what our customers would need and want. This is why we eagerly follow any communication from our community, and we are always happy to answer any questions at support@eligma.com. Only by working together can we build a different commerce world!
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