Consider then...the magnitude of these sufferings which the souls in Purgatory endure; and the means which we have of mitigating them: our prayers, our good works, and, above all…
The holy sacrifice of the maximum token extraction phase of crypto.
After the death of 11.6M tokens in 2025, a new era has just begun.
This token launch mini-guide is for serious founders looking to build a brighter future.
This is how you survive a trip to Purgatory in 2026, aka your TGE.
I’ve been directly operating more than 12 token launches and indirectly involved in dozens.
Solid teams with solid products and not-so-solid projects.
Big successes and even bigger failures.
None of my TGEs is equal to the previous one. There’s always a big lesson to learn from the market and the teams involved.
After launching so many, what did I learn?
Plan for the best
Prepare for the worst
You have to embrace chaos and command its waves.
If you are wondering why so many projects fail?
I’ll try to give you a glimpse of the enemy in front of you.
This is a snapshot of all you need to coordinate in a token launch:
Strategy, Community, Legal, Tech, Tokenomics, Exchanges, Market Makers, Partnerships, Distribution, Operations, and Post-TGE.
I’m not exaggerating: there are around 999 operations involved, and around 100 of them are critical to prepare if you don’t want your token/company to be dead on arrival.
And all of that needs to be discovered by teams doing a TGE for the first time.
Most of the time, understaffed.
It’s one of the most critical moments for crypto companies.
But before we jump into that:
What is a token launch?
The token launch, also known as Token-Generation-Event (TGE), is probably the most important and unique aspect of crypto marketing. The Web2 equivalent will be a listing in major stock exchanges (IPO).
You are taking your company public and allowing everyone (except in regulated jurisdictions) to be part of your business's future success through token investing.
Retail investors will conduct due diligence on your company, your market, your narrative, and the potential upside, and decide whether you are the right opportunity.
So, you must appeal as sexy as possible.
What’s the evolution of token launches?
A lot has changed since Bitcoin “free mining” started in 2009 and the boom of 2017 ICOs era.
Here’s a visual example of the different methods and their peaks of attention from 2017 until 2025:
While the way to launch a token might change in the future, if you analyze what core ingredients have the most successful token launches, there’s always one primary reason behind a strong community alignment:
They made some people rich.
That’s how you build a loyal community and create a lifelong bond with retail. If you don’t believe me, search around, and you’ll still find the LINK Marines around.
If your token launch is perceived as a VC play or you are using retail as exit liquidity, you are not going to make it.
I don’t say it, look at the 11m token deaths from last year.
What are the strategic phases of the TGE?
All token launches must have three phases, like a magic show:
The Build Up - Pre-token launch
Find product-market-fit
Define your Story, Positioning, Messaging, and WHY this token is needed
Develop a legendary creative brand universe
Build a core community of early supporters
Prepare key ecosystem partners like chains, builders, KOLs, backers, etc…
Develop a strong Go-To-Market strategy aligning product roadmap with key marketing activations
Launch FOMO marketing campaigns for people to get involved and capture mindshare
Build credibility through team-led marketing, founder branding, and PR appearances
Design the economic dynamics involved in your token
Prepare your legal structure, agreements, KYC/AML, and any other legal agreements
Secure a trusted market maker in regulated jurisdictions (Europe, UK, US, Singapore). Avoid Dubai, Cayman Islands and all jurisdictions not heavily regulated
Initiate conversations with CEXes and prepare the liquidity plans, agreements to finalize your tokenomics.
Define your token launch strategy (airdrop, public sale, launchpad, community sale, etc)
Apply to get listed in CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko
Prepare the tech of the token - contract address, wallet integrations, chains, bridges, UX/UI of the claiming portal
The launch phase - TGE is here
Announce your tokenomics and token mechanics
A major creative video to announce the token is here
Listing or launchpad announcements
Whitepaper/Litepaper release
KOLs & partner amplification
Airdrop claim experience
Major Post-TGE campaign announcement
PR or major news
A livestream event
A community crisis plan in place
The Post-TGE phase
The main question you need to answer here is: how do I increase the value of my token holders?
Keep big marketing campaigns
Drive more product adoption campaigns
Strategic partners
New features and releases
Overcommunicate successes and new integrations
All you have to do is keeping the momentum and make everything about product and ecosystem value increase for all your token holders
What are the key legal considerations before a token launch?
The industry standard is to separate your company into three parts:
Labs → Tech/IP development.
Token Issuer → Offshore entity (e.g., BVI) to mint/distribute tokens.
Foundation → Offshore (e.g., Cayman) for governance & treasury.
Don’t jump into the United States without legal advice. Ensure your token is classified as a utility token and passes the Howie Test.
If you want accredited investors, DO set up a Reg D exepemtion
DON’T jump into the US without legal advice.
In Europe, MiCA sets clear requirements for token issuers.
There are many other operations on the legal front, such as investor agreements, compliance (KYC/AML), SAFTs, warrants, liquidity deals, FTIs, RTAs, purchase agreements, etc.
I can send you a more detailed list if you ask, but still remember, I’m not a legal advisor, and you shouldn’t seek legal advice in X.
What are the best practices from the best token launches?
Allow retail investors to have skin in the game and get upside exposure
Always be transparent, admit mistakes and be an active part of your community
You don’t have to do an airdrop. Public sales, fair launches or any other sale mechanism can be more positive than a regular airdrop campaign
If you do an airdrop, don’t overpromise and don’t forget to recognize key contributors from your community
Timing is everything. If you are rushing your token launch 99% of the time you’ll fail as it’s not an easy process, and you have to coordinate a lot of moving pieces
The most popular practice is you want to launch in a high FDV category with low float
Don’t compromise on vesting 1-3 years is the standard in crypto
A downside of this strategy means when big unlocks happen, retail holders & price will suffer a potential dump
There are alternative ways to prepare your valuation for those trying to get out of the norm and make something different
Launching at the ultimate VC valuation with vesting, allowing retail to get exposure to your project like a VC
Unlocking 100% of your tokens at TGE (Price can go down sharply but once you clean up all your big holders, price can recover if the valuation is right and you have pmf)
Low valuation & high float making everyone believe this is so underrated
Have a plan B. C. D & E. Everything can happen in crypto and WILL happen according to my experience
Don’t be cheap when selecting your market maker, use always MMs regulated in non-exotic jurisdictions (Europe, US, Singapore). If possible, use a fixed retainer model as it will have less price action implications than any other model.
If your market maker fails, chances are all your work will go to waste
The best marketing in crypto is “token goes up” and this is all you need to think about it and how you can make sure you are driving value to token holders.
So, what to expect from token launches in 2026?
And if you want to launch your token in 2026 my best recommendation is to ensure you have a solid to-dos list, similar to the 2025 Token Launch Masterlist
