What Key Aspects Do ICOs Reveal About Their Businesses?

Gabriella Laatikainen; Alexander Semenov; Yixin Zhang; Pekka Abrahamsson

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-58858-8_5

What Key Aspects Do ICOs Reveal About Their Businesses?

Gabriella Laatikainen^*
, Alexander Semenov
, Yixin Zhang
, Pekka Abrahamsson

^*Corresponding author for this work

Not published at VTT

University of Gothenburg
University of Jyväskylä

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference article in proceedings › Scientific › peer-review

Abstract

Blockchain technologies disrupt industries by enabling decentralized and transactional data sharing across a network of untrusted participants, among others. Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) are a novel form of crowdfunding through which hundreds of blockchain-enabled businesses manage to raise billions of dollars in total only in United States. However, there is a lack of understanding of the ICO phenomenon especially related to the business aspects. In this paper, we describe the results of an exploratory study of 91 ICOs and identify the key business model elements that ICOs reveal in their websites and whitepapers. Furthermore, we also note the immaturity and lack of transparency of the business aspects of businesses behind the ICO campaigns.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming--Workshops
Subtitle of host publication	XP 2020 Workshops, Copenhagen, Denmark, June 8--12, 2020, Revised Selected Papers
Publisher	Springer
Pages	41-49
ISBN (Electronic)	978-3-030-58858-8
ISBN (Print)	978-3-030-58857-1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58858-8_5
Publication status	Published - 2020
MoE publication type	A4 Article in a conference publication

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-030-58858-8_5

Cite this

@inproceedings{80665336e7b543c4903c085f6d749506,

title = "What Key Aspects Do ICOs Reveal About Their Businesses?",

abstract = "Blockchain technologies disrupt industries by enabling decentralized and transactional data sharing across a network of untrusted participants, among others. Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) are a novel form of crowdfunding through which hundreds of blockchain-enabled businesses manage to raise billions of dollars in total only in United States. However, there is a lack of understanding of the ICO phenomenon especially related to the business aspects. In this paper, we describe the results of an exploratory study of 91 ICOs and identify the key business model elements that ICOs reveal in their websites and whitepapers. Furthermore, we also note the immaturity and lack of transparency of the business aspects of businesses behind the ICO campaigns.",

author = "Gabriella Laatikainen and Alexander Semenov and Yixin Zhang and Pekka Abrahamsson",

year = "2020",

doi = "10.1007/978-3-030-58858-8\_5",

language = "English",

isbn = "978-3-030-58857-1",

pages = "41--49",

booktitle = "Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming--Workshops",

publisher = "Springer",

address = "Germany",

}

What Key Aspects Do ICOs Reveal About Their Businesses? / Laatikainen, Gabriella; Semenov, Alexander; Zhang, Yixin et al.
Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming--Workshops: XP 2020 Workshops, Copenhagen, Denmark, June 8--12, 2020, Revised Selected Papers. Springer, 2020. p. 41-49.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference article in proceedings › Scientific › peer-review