Ever wondered what would happen if you threw $10,000 at every major ICO launched in 2025? Well, Twitter user @StarPlatinum_ did just that in a fascinating experiment shared in this thread. He tracked over 60 ICOs but focused on 15 with complete data and clear pricing. The results? A whopping $150,000 investment ballooned to over $4.6 million—a total return of +3,012%. But before you start dreaming of easy riches, let's dive into the details and why it's not as straightforward as it seems.

The Setup: A Hypothetical Portfolio

ICOs, or Initial Coin Offerings, are like crowdfunding for blockchain projects where you buy tokens early at a fixed price before they hit exchanges. StarPlatinum_ assumed a $10,000 buy-in for each of the 15 projects at their ICO price (often called the TGE, or Token Generation Event, price). He then calculated the current value based on market prices as of his post.

The standout winners? DeFi-focused tokens like MYX Finance and OKZOO, which single-handedly carried the portfolio. On the flip side, big-name infrastructure projects with massive funding rounds underperformed or even tanked.

Breaking Down the Winners and Losers

Here's a quick rundown of each project, including the ICO price, tokens bought with $10K, current price, position value, and ROI. I've organized it into a table for easy comparison—spoiler: the gains are skewed heavily by a couple of outliers.

Project	ICO Price	Tokens Bought	Current Price	Value	ROI
MYX Finance	$0.009	1,111,111	$2.75	$3,055,555	+30,455%
OKZOO	$0.005	2,000,000	$0.4337	$867,400	+8,574%
A Particle Network	$0.025	400,000	$0.1477	$59,080	+491%
Hyperlane	$0.03	333,333	$0.1388	$46,266	+363%
Solomon Labs	$0.40	25,000	$0.6813	$17,033	+70%
GAIB	$0.05	200,000	$0.0718	$14,360	+44%
Monad	$0.025	400,000	$0.0279	$11,160	+12%
USDai	$1.00	10,000	$0.9993	$9,993	-0.07%
Solv Protocol	$0.02	500,000	$0.0167	$8,350	-17%
Berachain	$18.82	531	$1.052	$5,586	-94%
Datagram	$0.0185	540,541	$0.0071	$3,838	-62%
Orochi Network	$0.30	33,333	$0.1103	$3,677	-63%

MYX Finance, a DeFi platform, exploded from $0.009 to $2.75, turning $10K into over $3 million. That's the kind of moonshot that makes headlines. OKZOO, which sounds like it might have some meme vibes with its playful name, followed suit with an 8,574% ROI.

On the other end, projects like Berachain—a highly hyped layer-1 blockchain—plummeted 94%, despite raising huge funds. Monad, another infrastructure play, barely broke even. StarPlatinum_ notes that DeFi and perpetuals-focused tokens (perps are derivatives for betting on price movements without owning the asset) dominated the winners, while infrastructure heavyweights lagged.

The Reality Check: Psychology and Practicality

As StarPlatinum_ wisely points out, these numbers look amazing on paper, but real-life investing isn't a set-it-and-forget-it game. Most folks would sell winners like MYX early to lock in profits and hold onto losers hoping for a rebound. That's classic crypto psychology—FOMO (fear of missing out) drives buys, and regret keeps you in bad positions.

Plus, not every ICO is accessible. Many are oversubscribed, meaning you need connections or luck to get in, not just $10K. And let's not forget market volatility: prices can swing wildly post-launch.

Lessons for Meme Token Hunters and Beyond

At Meme Insider, we're all about spotting the next big meme token, but this experiment highlights how DeFi and meme-adjacent plays like OKZOO can deliver outsized returns in the ICO space. If you're diving into 2025's remaining launches, focus on projects with strong utility in DeFi rather than pure hype. Always do your due diligence—check the team, roadmap, and community buzz.

What do you think? Would you ape into every ICO, or pick selectively? Drop your thoughts in the comments, and stay tuned for more breakdowns on emerging tokens. For the full thread and community reactions, check it out here.