Opinion by: Tim Hafner, founder and CEO of OpenSERV
Launchpads Introduced to give web3 projects to access early investors. As they run now, however, they often result in cash grabs in long -term success. This resulted in a flood of half -formed products that crack the market without real support for the builders.
Virtuals Protocol facilitates more than 17,000 AI agent token launches in February 2025indicating that the infrastructure for the launch of the token does not slow down. The questions remain, however, about the long -term maintenance and responsibility of the launchpads.
Projects without components are funding, ultimately resulting in failure, reflecting a deeper industry problem. Launchpads have become hollow funnels that projects funds without the need for a real product or technical foundation.
What does the launchpads allocate
Designed as a point of conference for builders and believers, launchpads help new projects raise funds and increase brand awareness while allowing global investors to get ahead of technology -promised technology. This method helps fill a significant gap by easier for teams to access community funds and support.
As the industry grows old, this model revealed its limitations. Many launchpads remain focused on raising funds rather than achieving lasting success. In this sense, they have been stuck in the past, acting like decentralized shark tanks rather than change machines. Instead of leading the method for modern technology, the launchpads removed it as a category as a whole.
The problem with ‘launch whatever’
Many launchpads pride themselves in being chain-bagagnostic, positioning themselves as a neutral arena for protocols to raise funds. This neutrality also creates a lack of focus and standard, which becomes free-for-alls that do not help to help the best projects stand and grow.
Some argue that the change should not be policed, and anyone should be fundraise. But without focusing on the real, sophisticated tech or clear guardrails for token design, the launchpads became a cut-throat arena where no one won. Investors were bombed by half cooked pitches and shallow hype cycles as builders try to raise capital without significant support.
Related: Grayscale added AI Launchpads, Solana Defi Apps to Q1 2025 Top tokens
This method worked for the earlier iterations of the Web3 projects, which preceded the token distribution to long -term growth. However, this model no longer benefits from this market. The days of fast-winning and low-effort Launching is gone. With increasing regulatory investigation, the next generation of launchpads should move despite the theory and action, just launching projects with real products.
Those who developed require better infrastructure
Most builders have juggle three to four disconnected tools to send a project. There are many factors that should be considered, including building backends, maintaining costs, server hosting and security systems. No wonder the promising projects are stall before they start properly.
Building a real product requires a lot of work. Traditional launches are narrowly dedicated to helping projects raise capital. But capital will not help solve operation bottlenecks. Builders, especially those without a deep pocket or pedigrees, need launchpads that support them end-to-end to simplify the entire journey.
The ethos of the launchpads need to be: ‘Providing the builders of tools they need to focus on their products,’ not to patch together scaffolding around them as they go.
Projects require multi-aging support
Beyond better tooling, launchpads need to change to enable developers to develop truly powerful applications that will solve real user problems. Instead of deploying token contracts, modern platforms should provide infrastructure for creating applications with real utility, user adoption and generation of income.
Number 2025 has been the year of AI agents, projects will be joined by introducing a solid platform for developing applications first, then building a launchpad around those applications. This creates a cycle where the successful application of the adoption platform application, which attracts more developers and creating network effects of important applications, builders and users that solve real size problems.
Better construction, not just raising more
If the launchpads want to be part of the solution, they should be lost in their own way. They are uniquely positioned to drive modern technology, but we will not have better projects without better tools.
The next generation of launchpads should move the previous distribution of the token towards helping builders better. This means providing end-to-end support by developing and growing products, and offering clear incentives and guards to ensure that everyone’s interests are aligned.
Opinion by: Tim Hafner, founder and CEO of OpenSERV.
This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be done as legal or investment advice. The views, attitudes, and opinions expressed here are unique and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of the cointelegraph.
