To my knowledge, the ICO is a legitimate way to raise capital for startup companies. During the ICO period, a certain amount of Cryptocurrency, also known as token, will be offered to investors. In other words, this is a form to mobilize real capital in electronic money.. The IPO is an abbreviation for the term First Public Release. This is the explanation for the action of selling securities, launching shares for the first time. Actually, the ICO and the IPO have some similarities but they are different. For a company's stock, issued during the IPO, always represents a share of ownership in the company. This is not in the ICO. In addition, IPOs are closely managed by the government. In contrast, the ICOs is a new model, largely unaffected by government regulations. That means any project can launch an ICO