Why Crypto Token Launches Are Broken and How to Fix Them | Shane Molidor

Key Takeaways

• Advocate institutionalized book-building: adopt IPO-style book building to secure post-TGE institutional demand; require projects and VCs to lock allocations and structure post-TGE buybacks.
• Use data-driven market-maker selection: leverage Forge's free benchmarking, leaderboards, uptime and KPI metrics to pick market makers with proven historical performance, not sales anecdotes.
• Evaluate exchanges by ROI and fee data: collect token/fee information and compare FDV, volume, depth, and spreads; weigh token allocations when targeting top-tier combos for day-one reach.
• Align incentives and contracts: prefer market makers who commit contractually and maintain >90% uptime; be wary of aggressive proposals that often deliver ~50% uptime.
• Change fundraising structure: split investor allocation (50% locked cost basis, 50% for secondary TWAP buybacks); avoid pre-TGE raises in bear markets unless buyback funds are reserved.
• Use free tooling to democratize access: Forge automates RFQs, exchange applications, and tokenomics simulation to reduce intermediaries, increase transparency, and benchmark desk performance.

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