TonStarter and TON Ecosystem Launchpads: How They Work

A launchpad is the primary market for new crypto tokens — the venue where a project sells part of its supply to retail before DEX listing. In the TON ecosystem the dominant player is TonStarter, alongside TONUP, STON.fi launchpad, and ad-hoc IDO models run by individual projects. As of May 2026 several dozen releases have flowed through these venues.

This article unpacks the mechanics of tiers, vesting schedules, and KYC, compares the main launchpads, and proposes a due-diligence framework that separates serious projects from the standard low-float-high-FDV launches.

What a launchpad does and why projects use one

A new TON project must distribute tokens to early users and bootstrap liquidity. Options:

• Pure fair-launch on a DEX (no premine).
• Activity-based airdrop.
• IDO through a launchpad — guaranteed fundraise and visibility.
• Closed seed/private round before public sale.

A launchpad supplies the audience and core infra: KYC operations, escrow contracts, vesting, claim UI. In exchange it takes a fee (typically 2–5% of raised funds plus a token allocation for its own staking economy).

TonStarter: tiers, allocations, vesting

TonStarter is the largest launchpad on TON. Model:

1. User stakes the platform’s base token (or TON, depending on the round) and earns a tier — from Bronze to Diamond.
2. Tier sets the maximum allocation in the current IDO.
3. KYC is required for participants from jurisdictions the issuer demands (usually US, OFAC list, etc. excluded).
4. After TGE the token appears on a claim page; part unlocks immediately (TGE unlock), the rest vests linearly.

A typical TonStarter IDO vesting schedule: 10–25% at TGE, the rest linear over 6–24 months with a possible 1–3 month cliff. For retail this means half of the allocation only becomes available in the second half of the year after listing.

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Why vesting matters. Linear unlock protects retail from instant team and investor dump. If a project unlocks the full allocation at TGE — that’s a red flag: the sell-off happens in the first hours.

TONUP and its variants

TONUP is an alternative launchpad, historically oriented toward projects with simpler mechanics (no rigid tiers, sometimes no KYC). It hosted several early IDOs and fair-launches. Compared to TonStarter:

• Smaller audience and raise sizes.
• More frequent fair-launch models without premine.
• Weaker formalized vesting (occasionally everything at TGE).

The platform suits niche projects and experimental launches, but project-quality risk is higher: less due diligence at the issuer admission stage.

STON.fi launchpad: memecoin focus

STON.fi shipped its own launchpad module aimed at memecoins and community-driven launches. Mechanics are simpler:

• Minimal KYC.
• Often no vesting or a very short schedule.
• Goal — instant liquidity right after TGE.
• Pool surfaces on STON.fi DEX immediately.

Convenient for Telegram-style memecoins (heirs to NOT/DOGS), but the risk profile is sharply higher: memecoins structurally trend to zero on average over 6–18 months.

Comparison table: four venues

IDO risks

A retail IDO participant faces three classes of risk:

1. Post-TGE dump. Even with vesting, much private/seed allocation may unlock before public. Price 2–4 weeks in is often below listing.
2. Low-float-high-FDV. Project lists with 3–5% circulating supply, FDV of $200–500M. Each subsequent unlock adds sell pressure proportionally.
3. Project risk. Team fails to ship; the token loses its narrative; liquidity drains. The 12-month survival of IDO tokens on public indicators rarely exceeds 30–40%.

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The main red flag — a long cliff for retail (e.g., 6 months with no payouts) without an equivalent cliff for seed investors. That means seed will exit first into liquidity provided by retail TGE participants.

A due-diligence framework

Before participating in an IDO it pays to verify:

1. Team. Doxxed founders or verifiable reputation (LinkedIn, prior projects).
2. Contract audit. Not just the token but vesting/claim contracts too. Reputable auditors in the TON ecosystem: Trail of Bits, CertiK, Hexens, Hypernative.
3. Tokenomics. What percentage goes to public, team, treasury, advisors. Unlock schedule for each bucket. Best compared as a side-by-side table.
4. Real product. Is there a working dApp, usage metrics, active users? If the launch is “just the token for now,” risk multiplies.
5. Post-listing liquidity. How much the project commits to the DEX pool. Weak bootstrap means any medium sell moves price 10–20%.
6. Community signals. Real Telegram activity vs. botted; independent reviews; how the team handles tough questions.

Cases from 2024–2026: what’s been observed

Without naming specific tickers, observable patterns from the past 18 months:

• Tier-1 IDOs with long vesting and serious KYC. Most of these tokens posted negative 30-day retail returns but stabilized by month six. Vesting smooths the sell-off.
• Memecoins via STON.fi launchpad. High volatility in the first hours, typical 5–20x pump and a 24–72-hour dump. Retail entering “mid-way” usually exits red.
• Ad-hoc IDOs without vesting. In several cases price collapsed by more than 70% in the first hour after listing. That’s the “team grabbed retail liquidity and walked” pattern.

Alternatives to IDO participation

If a launch looks interesting but the IDO is too risky:

• Wait 1–2 months. By then early cliffs play out, price often sits below listing, and you can enter knowing real tokenomics.
• Buy on DEX after stabilization. Especially when the project keeps shipping — an execution-risk signal.
• Enter via airdrop farming. If an airdrop is announced, activity in core products often yields comparable allocation without monetary risk.

What this means for users: a checklist

1. Never invest more than you can lose — IDOs are historically high-risk.
2. Check vesting schedules for ALL categories, not just public.
3. Compare TGE unlock with FDV: low float + high FDV = dangerous pattern.
4. Read full audit reports, not their marketing tldr.
5. Don’t rush to sell on the first spike, but don’t hold forever: take partial profits at a 2x.
6. Mind KYC and tax implications — for Russian residents IDO income reports as any other crypto income.

Where the industry is heading

As of May 2026 the “classic tiered IDO” format is losing share to:

• Points programs and seasonal airdrops as a distribution method without a public sale.
• Liquidity bootstrapping pools (LBPs) — dynamic price auctions that make front-run and snipe less profitable.
• Hybrid models — small public sale via launchpad + larger airdrop to active users.

TON follows the trend: more teams prefer to “reward users” over “sell early allocation.” TonStarter and competitors remain, but their share of releases is shrinking.

Conclusion

A launchpad on TON is a working tool for primary distribution — not “guaranteed profit.” TonStarter provides the most structured process, STON.fi launchpad is the fast lane for memecoins, the rest occupy intermediate niches. The deciding factor is due-diligence discipline: tokenomics, vesting, team, real product.

If new tokens interest you as an asset class, start with small allocations, a clear rule for partial profit-taking, and an understanding that most IDOs historically trade back below listing.

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