Nikolas Sargeant
As we move into H2 of 2024, the public’s appetite for new tokens appears unsated. Brace yourselves, because more tokens are coming and you can bet the FOMO for the hottest sales is going to be as intense as ever. While not every tokenized project coming to market is a guaranteed game-changer, the following five have attracted keen interest for reasons that will soon become apparent. Fade these launches at your peril.
Upland
EOS-native gamer Upland, originally inspired by Monopoly, has broken its chains and transcended all limitations that were placed upon it. With over 30,000 DAUs and 3M registered players, Upland has proven that there’s life in the real estate building genre, particularly when it’s infused with web3 elements. Having demonstrated that there is organic demand for the game, Upland is now set to proceed with the next phase of its evolution through a ‘Share and Build’ airdrop.
The campaign will culminate in the release of an Ethereum token, allowing players to convert the in-game Sparklet currency into the new ETH token. It’s a novel way of issuing a token and one that’s earned praise from Upland players, who are rewarded for engagement both in Upland and on Twitter. The success of the Share and Build campaign means demand is set to be strong for the Upland token following its impending launch.
Kerberus
One of the defining trends of 2024 has been the success of token launchpads, which have become the industry’s preferred means of launching digital assets. The ability to engage with existing communities and offer something akin to a fair launch has resonated with retail users tired of losing out to VCs. Into this framework falls Kerberus, the leading web3 security extension.
It’s launching its token on Angel Launchpad, the new token issuance portal devised by Yield App. One of the best things about Angel Launchpad is that it’s very selective about the projects it curates. Not only does this ensure that only legitimate token sales are listed, but it maximizes the prospects of success on the secondary market. Kerberus, named after the three-headed dog that guards the gates to the underworld, fits neatly into this bracket.
Enso
Another eagerly anticipated project launching on a battle-tested platform is Enso, described as the world's first intent engine powering the intent-centric future. Essentially, Enso network abstracts smart contract interactions, rollups, appchains, and blockchains for execution. This allows for more efficient onchain resource allocation and lighter dapps that aren’t burdened by current blockchain bottlenecks.
All very intriguing but when token? Actually, the when is still to be confirmed but the where can be stated with certainty. Enso is poised to launch on CoinList, the regulated and renowned platform that hosts many of the most hyped token sales. CoinList projects have a tendency to run hard straight out the gate, virtually guaranteeing secondary market demand. For this reason, Enso’s tech, team, and token launch platform augur well for its impending debut.
deBridge
Not all of the tokens entering the market this year have to be bought through launchpads; some can be earned and airdropped. deBridge is a prime example. Its cross-chain bridging and swap protocol have made it one of the leading solutions for moving assets between L1 and L2 chains. The clean UX coupled with low fees have made it a mainstay of the onchain ecosystem. A token was inevitable at some stage and now it’s almost here.
$DBR will have a supply of 10B with 20% of this total allocated to the community. A points program is currently underway, allowing users to earn points that can later be converted into $DBR tokens. The more you bridge, the more you earn. While a launch date for the deBridge token has yet to be confirmed, it’s expected to drop in late 2024 which means there’s still time to qualify before the snapshot’s taken.
Light Protocol
ZKs have been big business during this market cycle, with investment pouring into web3 startups working on rollups, encryption, zkEVMs, and private finance applications that leverage zero-knowledge proofs. Now Light Protocol is bringing ZKs to Solana with the promise of ZK compression. This will allow native ZK computations to be undertaken on Solana that are much cheaper and lighter than anything that’s gone before.
For now, Light Protocol is very much in the build stage, as it works with Helius on building out its solution for Solana state compression. Its technology has the potential to support Solana scaling and help developers create much more efficient applications that don’t get bogged down during times of high mainchain demand. A Light Protocol token is guaranteed with the only question being whether it will drop before 2024 closes out.
