Earlier this year, cryptocurrencies reached a market cap of over $800 billion. $21 billion was raised by ICOs alone. 21 billion dollars invested in a relatively primitive way. Global inclusion, since crypto fundraising see no boundaries, made it possible for anyone with an Ethereum address to become part of the investor class.

For regulators, this was a nightmare. For accredited investors it may have been enticing, but ultimately too off-grid and grey-market. When you are used to financial advisors, hedge fund managers, and VCs from the tech world, crypto was no place for a professional. Launched in Germany in 2017, Iconiq Lab became the first “decentralized” venture capital group. They saw the value in crypto, the attention it was gathering, and understand both the curious demand and the apprehension. And so the project was created to clear a path for the more demanding and discerning investors.

Iconiq is attempting to make everything about ICOs easier, safer, and with more successful results. This includes launch services, business development, as well as integrated programs and memberships for investors. They propose a new ecosystem as the backbone of structured and regulated ICO growth.

ICOs that graduate from their accelerator program are vetted, bolstered, and all but proven. Essentially, Iconiq operates like a business incubator for ICOs. They offer financing and professional company building to blockchain and crypto startups And when we say “select”, we mean only 1% of applicants even get accepted to their program. This focuses their services to honing only the best and brightest opportunities.

For the investor, Iconiq offers a variety of services, from asset management and custody to market data and even compliance. It’s essentially a one-stop shop for a hands-off crypto investor looking for the highest returns. While the average crypto-fan may be looking for autonomy and control, most understand the need for custodial services and other on-ramps for mass adoption. Large investment firms and hedge fund operations may be starting to take part in the markets, but Iconiq is creating a premier infrastructure to bridge the gap between accredited investors and viable blockchain startups with a whole lot of promise.

This infrastructure is built around the ICNQ ERC20 token. The token uses are yet to be made completely clear, but based on the ICNQ whitepaper, ICNQ is the value driver of the Iconiq Holding ecosystem, providing membership access to high quality investment vehicles and voucher discounts on ecosystem products and services. While the token apparently has a utility value within this ecosystem, speculative trading on major exchanges will likely be its primary purpose at first.

The Iconiq core team is made up primarily of investment bankers, hedge fund managers, and venture capitalists with experience. Patrick Lowry, the CEO, is a former auditing manager for clients such as Blackrock and Vanguard. Advisory board features a robust team of legal experts and blockchain enthusiasts.

While Iconiq is already underway as a business and token system, many of their flagship ICOs will have their token sales this year and into 2019. Before 2020, Iconiq plans to have ETNs and ETFs in play to make things even easier for the average investor looking into blockchain. The next of their projects to keep an eye out for is called Unibright: a business solution blockchain company.

For full information visit their site at https://iconiqlab.com/