Not to be confused with an Initial Public Offering(IPO) on the stock market an ICO is an Initial Coin Offering but lets look at the proper definition DEFINITION of 'Initial Coin Offering ( ICO )' An unregulated means by which funds are raised for a new cryptocurrency venture. ... In an ICO campaign, a percentage of the cryptocurrency is sold to early backers of the project in exchange for legal tender or other cryptocurrencies, but usually for Bitcoin. BREAKING DOWN 'Initial Coin Offering (ICO)' When a cryptocurrency startup firm wants to raise money through an Initial Coin Offering (ICO), it usually creates a plan which states what the project is about, what need(s) the project will fulfill upon completion, how much money is needed to undertake the venture, how much of the virtual tokens the pioneers of the project will keep for themselves, what type of money is accepted, and how long the ICO campaign will run for. During the ICO campaign, enthusias