ICOs have attracted a lot of attention over the past few months, so much so that various countries are looking to regulate initial coin offerings. The sector as a whole has been hugely successful with investors and developers alike. However, there are specific types of projects which are anything but popular these days, for no apparent reason. Below are the top 10 ICO industries which have seen very little interest throughout 2017.
10. Content Management
It is unusual to see very little interest in content management when it comes to ICO projects. Although they certainly exist, the industry accounts for 0.4% – or US$9.5 million – of all ICO funds raised during 2017. We can only hope this situation changes in the near future.
9. Real Estate
This particular industry has always been pretty expensive and may not necessarily lend itself to ICOs in the first place. Some projects have tried their hand at this form of fundraising, but this particular sector only raised US$9.085 million throughout 2017 so far. That was lower than expectations, and it is doubtful real estate and ICO will mix better in the future.
8. Communications
When it comes to decentralized communication, raising money for a new platform through an ICO is not all that easy. Nor will it be profitable in the near future, as this sector accounts for just US$8.815 million of all ICO funds throughout 2017 so far. With the Kik ICO, that number may eventually increase, depending on how successful that venture is.
7. Drugs & Healthcare
Although the healthcare industry can benefit from blockchain and decentralized technologies, very few ICOs are focusing on this sector for the time being. With US$8.31 million being raised through such efforts, there is a lot of room for growth.
6. Events & Entertainment
Another sector not getting much love from the ICO industry is the events & entertainment sector. That is not entirely surprising, as there has been no reason to host an ICO for this particular purpose. However, a few teams managed to raise a combined US$8.07 million for their ventures, which is pretty interesting to keep an eye on.
5. Social Networks
A lot of people will be surprised to learn there have been little to no ICO efforts related to social media throughout 2017. With just US$5.625 million raised by such projects this year, revamping social media will not occur anytime soon, by the looks of things. Whether or not 2018 will offer any improvement in this regard remains to be seen.
4. Data Analytics
On paper, it makes little to no sense to raise ICO funds for data analytics. This explains why only US$2.037 million was raised through such efforts throughout 2017. Whether or not any company can make a big impact in the world of data analytics in this manner remains to be determined.
3. Energy & Utilities
An interesting opportunity was created when people gained the ability to trade excess renewable energy through a decentralized platform. Unfortunately, it seems no projects are really focusing on this market right now, or at least not where ICOs are concerned. Just under US$2 million was raised during 2017 for the energy & utilities sector, which is pretty disappointing.
2. Supply & Logistics
Most blockchain-related efforts associated with supply & logistics will not take the ICO route. That does not mean the situation will not change in the coming years, but 2017 saw only US$851,295 raised for such efforts. That’s a disappointing number, but it wasn’t entirely unexpected either.
1. Governance
If nothing else, decentralization is all about changing the rules of governance. With that in mind, it is highly surprising to have seen very few ICOs focuing on this particular area throughout this year. In fact, the governance ICO sector only raised US$258,645 throughout the first nine months of 2017. That is pretty shocking, but it also shows that most projects have tended to focus on the same old sectors this year. Some more variation is sorely needed.
