A hard cap is the maximum amount of funds a project team plans to raise during an ICO or another token sale. Once this firm threshold is reached, the token sale and the collection of investments stop completely.
Escrow in the context of an ICO refers to intermediaries' accounts where the raised funds are kept. The project team receives funding in installments as the roadmap milestones are completed, which protects investors.
A soft cap is the minimum amount of funds a project plans to raise during a token sale in order to begin developing the product. If the amount is not reached, the funds are usually returned to contributors.
TGE is a token generation event during which a project issues and distributes its tokens for the first time. It is a way to raise financing for the development of a blockchain project.
An ICO platform is a set of software tools and infrastructure that allow a project to prepare and conduct an initial coin offering: issue tokens, raise funds and manage the campaign.
A Pre-ICO (token presale) is a preliminary stage of token sales before the main ICO round. It helps a project raise starting funds for marketing, development and the preparation of a full-fledged campaign.
A crowdsale is a public sale of a project's tokens to a large number of participants over the internet in order to raise financing. In essence, it is a synonym for an ICO — an initial coin offering.
An advisor is a consultant for a crypto project, most often an experienced specialist in the field of blockchain, technology or finance, who advises the team and increases trust in the project.
An ICO (Initial Coin Offering) is an initial token offering, a way of raising funds to launch a crypto project. In essence it is an analog of a public share offering, but in the world of blockchain.
An ICO tracker is a website or service that tracks and collects information about ICOs being launched, helping market participants keep an eye on new token offerings.