Title: Launch Your AI Agent Now, Build in Public Along the Way
Author: ehwangah
Translated by: Yuliya, PANews
To begin with, a reality in the crypto space is that market capitalization is the core metric for measuring success. While technological innovation, core value capture, and product-market fit (PMF) are all important, the true sign that you have delivered a multi-fold return for your team, investors, and holders is whether your market cap can soar. So how to achieve this?
Launch Now, Build in Public Along the Way > Don't get bogged down in launch details or delay it repeatedly.
Don't stress too much, as the launch only accounts for 10%-20% of your long-term success. Don't make it complicated. Here's a brief summary:
- Overhyped pre-launch but lack of substance: Skyrocket and crash
- Low-key launch but lack of substance: Immediate failure
- Overhyped pre-launch but with substance: Takeoff and reach the peak
- Low-key launch but with substance: Steady growth
Do you see the pattern? The key is to build substantial content (we'll discuss how to build substantial content in detail later, in short, it's about the team, product, and community). A simple litmus test is: Would your friends be willing to buy, hold, and believe in your project? If they don't trust it, others won't either.
Why is an early launch the best choice?
1. Validate your idea before investing over $100,000 in development
Rather than spending 3 months or longer and tens of thousands of dollars polishing a product, an early launch can help you validate the concept. Similar to the lean startup approach, first put out a proposition, generate interest from your target users, and then iterate and build. You may think this is unconventional, but it can help you cultivate your initial 1,000 true believers, who will become catalysts for driving project growth, whether in terms of network, resources, or pricing.
The key is: Validate the idea first, don't wait until you've spent a lot of time and money.
2. Establish a leading position and leverage the Lindy effect
Do you know why the top 50 projects can maintain their leading positions even as cycles change? It's not just about quality, but also the advantage of time and position, the Lindy effect. By launching early, your holder community base will be stronger, allowing you to gradually weed out the less committed users and attract loyal supporters. Time is on your side.
If you wait too long, inferior projects may occupy your position. Once others have taken your narrative, funding, or attention, it will be very difficult to reclaim it. In the PVP competition on X (Twitter), it's hard to get people who have already "entered" to switch to another project.
In the current AI agent hype, being the first mover is not only a bonus, but a decisive factor. Everyone is rushing to launch AI agents, so by joining the race early, you can occupy an advantageous position in the ecosystem, while others can only chase after you.
Whether we like it or not, launching a project in the crypto market involves a "attention game". Product-driven growth is certainly important, but that's a secondary consideration. Attracting attention and building a community are crucial, and tokens are the best tools for distribution and aligning incentives.
Projects that launch on the Virtuals ecosystem often gain a competitive edge. The overall culture of this ecosystem is known for high quality, and in the long run, capital tends to flow towards quality projects.
3. Immediately form a community and distribution effect
Launching a project will generate buzz, and people on X (Twitter) will start discussing your project, summarizing "3 reasons to buy/hold". This discussion is invaluable - not just for price appreciation, but because it builds a community. These people can help you iterate the product, test new features, and even contribute development resources. On the first day of launch, you'll have a group of loyal users.
4. You can get ahead of the wave of VC-backed token projects in 2025
Many projects postponed their launches during the 2024 bear market, believing that low market sentiment due to low liquidity and risk aversion was not suitable for launching. By 2025, you'll see more projects launching, following a typical path:
- Raise a large amount of funding from VCs;
- Polish the product, then conduct marketing activities (airdrops, quests, KOL collaborations, etc.);
- Subsequently hold a token generation event (TGE).
Your advantage is what? Fair launch, decentralized spirit, organic community growth. The market dynamics have already shifted, and now it's more favorable for you.
What if I build the product first?
A solid product can indeed bring competitive advantages, but it is not the only decisive factor. As an early-stage project, the crypto market itself is also in an early stage, and the team's background to continuously create value is crucial. To be honest, if the crypto market was purely driven by utility and product, "shitcoins" wouldn't have attracted so much buying pressure.
It's not about advocating for "air projects", but rather that an early launch can give you a competitive edge in community building and narrative shaping.
Product launches are never perfect, there will always be bugs, server overloads, concurrency issues, etc. Don't overly emphasize these problems, as the product will ultimately prove itself through updates and iterations.
Build in Public, Document the Journey
People love to see a team create value from scratch. The story is important, and people are more willing to support founders with flesh and blood, rather than a cold brand. Building in public makes the project more approachable and human.
You don't need a perfect brand image on day one, just start early, from the initial drafts. Grow through public building. I recommend studying the success stories of the top 20 projects in the Virtuals ecosystem.
FAQs
- About snipers: They exist on all chains, the key is to maintain user stickiness and ecosystem strength
- Token economics design and agent launch structure: Advice can be provided based on experience from over 100 launch cases
- G.A.M.E framework: Provides open-source SDK to support customized needs
- Business model: Can integrate existing business models
- Existing token integration: There are corresponding solutions
- Trust issues without a product launch: Similar to Kickstarter projects, early feedback is most valuable
