I’ll start with the hard truth, in crypto, your market cap is the primary metric for success. I’m not discounting the tech innovation, fundamental dollar value captured, PMF etc. but the one fact as to whether you’ve done justice in returning multiples in value back to your team, investors, holders etc., is that your mcap needs to hit the stratosphere. So how?

Launch now and build in public along the way > overly stressing about launch dynamics or delaying.

Also to calm your nerves, the launch only accounts for 10-20% of your long-term success. So don’t overcomplicate it. Here’s a TLDR why,

• Overhyped launch, no substance: Giga pump-and-dump.
• Underhyped launch, no substance: Dead on arrival.
• Overhyped launch, solid substance: Rip to valhalla.
• Underhyped launch, solid substance: Gradual steady growth.

See the common theme? Focus on building substance (more on this in another article but tldr it’s the team, product, community). A litmus test of substance here is your inner circle of friends should be willing to buy/hold and believe in your project first. If they’re not convinced, neither will anyone else.

Anyway back to why launching now is the best approach.

— Validate your idea before $100k+ in development

• Instead of spending 3+ months and hundreds of thousands of dollars perfecting a product, launching early helps validate your concept. It’s like the lean startup approach: put out an offer, excite your target audience, validate it, then iterate and build along the way. You might think this is unconventional but it’s the most efficient way to cultivate your first 1,000 true believers that forms the catalyst for a reinforcing momentum to the project—be it network, resources, price, etc.
• The main point really is achieving this validates your idea vs postponing the validation later after sinking time and cost

— Cement your position as top 50 and harness the Lindy Effect

• Do you know why the top 50 projects stay in the top 50 across cycles? It’s not just about quality—it’s about longevity and positioning aka the Lindy Effect. Being early builds strength in your holder community base, gives time to flush out weak hands aka non-believers, and attracts loyal ones. Time is your ally here.
• If you wait too long, weaker projects might take your spot. Once someone else captures your narrative, wallet share, or mindshare, clawing your way back becomes a grueling uphill battle. You’ve seen the PvP battles on X, it’s hard to compel people on a better project/offering once they have their bags locked and loaded
• Specifically now in the current meta of AI agent launches, being first isn’t just a “nice-to-have”—it’s critical. Everyone is rushing to launch agents. Establishing yourself early in this ecosystem positions you to activate and grow with the community while others scramble to catch up.
• Whether we like it or not, there is an attention game to play by launching in crypto. It’s not always about product-led growth leading, that comes later. Building attention early and forming a community is a must. And, leveraging a token is your best tool for distribution and alignment. Building in public is second best ‘tool’.

— Instant Day 1 Community Formation and Distribution

• Launching creates buzz. Suddenly, people on X (Twitter) are threading about you, summarizing your project into “3 reasons to buy/hold.” This is invaluable—not JUST because of price pumps but because it galvanizes a community that can help you iterate, alpha test, and even contribute dev resources. On Day 1, you’ll have loyalists.

— You’re beating the many VC-backed coin TGEs in 2025

You’ll probably see this trend in 2025 given many projects delayed their launches on advice that during the extended summer bear of 2024, launching then would be bad since low liquidity, poor risk appetite, and no one’s aping in. You would also see more GTM activity drum up following a predictable playbook:

• Raise a ton of capital from VCs

• Build the product, then launch a GTM (Go-To-Market) campaign—points, quests, KOLs, metrics farming, you name it.

• Followed by a TGE (Token Generation Event).
• But what’s your edge? Fair launched, the ethos of decentralisation lore, organic community build up. Market dynamics have changed and they favor you now.

But What About Building the Product First?

While a solid product gives you an edge, it’s not the only factor. Because you’re an early stage project + crypto is a nascent market in general, the team’s background needs to be called out to instil confidence that continuous work will be done to create value. Let’s be real: if crypto were purely about utility or product, vaporware wouldn’t still attract bids. I’m not advocating for launching vaporware. I’m saying launching early gives you a competitive edge in community-building and narrative-setting.

Also product launches will never be perfect, you will always have bugs, server overloads, concurrency issues etc. Don’t guide the focus on this, over time the product will speak for itself as you roll out updates.

Build in Public Along the Way

People love the behind-the-scenes journey of a scrappy team creating value. The lore matters. People aren’t here to buy from faceless brands; they care about founders and the story. Building in public makes your journey relatable and human.

You don’t need to have a polished identity on Day 1. Start early. Start raw. Build in public.

Study top 20 in Virtuals Ecosystem, they’ve grinded well publicly to build love.

Addressing Common Concerns

• What about snipers? They’re everywhere regardless of chain. But there is a native culture that exists in Virtuals trenches. It comes down to retention and ecosystem strength. Also there’s a way to address this that we can advise. (Will publish smth on this soon)
• How do I handle tokenomics design, agent launch structure, etc.? We’ve seen 100+ launches and can share insights on optimizing for your goals. (Will publish smth on this soon)
• What about working with the G.A.M.E framework, is it customizable, do I own the tech stack? Yes to all, we’re working on publishing more content here and building in public ourselves. We have an open sourced SDK to plug and play leveraging our framework in your architecture, but for deeper info - let’s chat on TG
• I don’t wanna just launch a speculative AI Agent project, I have a business model. Yes, answerable! (Will publish smth on this soon)
• How do I maximize building in public? I also have resources here and a checklist etc. Chat on TG.
• Okay what if I have an existing token? I also have an answer for this. (Will publish smth on this soon)
• But what if people think it’s a scam since you have no product on launch? Kickstarter projects don’t have product on launch, landing pages that collects email leads don’t have a product, and even MVPs themselves aren’t the final form especially since it quickly iterates. Plus your first 1,000 fans will give you the best feedback on the idea.

Next Steps?

Launch now. Build in public. Don’t overthink it. Let us know so we can help amplify your journey. DM me @ehwangah on TG because I have a bunch of resources we’ve created to get you started.

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