$ICP / DFINITY: From idea to reality (and a bit of fantasy)
!¡2016 — The beginning
Founder Dominic Williams launches the DFINITY project.
Goal: to create the 'computer of the entire Internet' — without Amazon, Google, and centralization.
The project gathers its first investments — even before the token appears.
---
!¡2017-2018 — ICO and wild funding
2017: DFINITY launches ICO (Initial Coin Offering), raising $61 million.
2018: Additional funding from giants like Andreessen Horowitz and Polychain Capital — another $102 million.
At this point, DFINITY is one of the best-funded crypto projects in the world.
---
!¡2019-2020 — Beta, testnets, and technical breakthroughs
Release of the alpha version of the network.
DFINITY is actively developing tools for developers: Canister smart contracts, new language Motoko.
The network is launched in test mode (Testnet), available to a limited number of developers.
---
!¡2021 — The big launch and the big... crash?
May 10, 2021: Official launch of the Internet Computer Mainnet.
On the same day, the ICP token appears on Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, Huobi, and many other exchanges.
The price reaches over $2,800 in just a few hours.
The entire market is in shock: ICP is one of the largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization (top 5!).
...and then
June 2021: the crash begins. Within a few weeks, the price falls to $40.
Criticism is growing: accusations of opacity, centralization, and mass sell-offs by internal investors.
---
!¡2022-2023 — Survival and building
The team does not give up: launches SNS (Service Nervous System) — a decentralized governance system for dApps.
The community is developing, and the first projects appear: OpenChat, DSCVR, Internet Identity.
Integrations with Bitcoin (Chain-Key BTC) and Ethereum are being implemented.
---
!¡2024 — Integration with AI and Web3
DFINITY announces the integration of AI models directly into decentralized smart contracts.
Focus on Web3 services that do not rely on traditional hosting or servers.
---
!¡2025 — Current status
ICP price: around $4–6 (fluctuating).
Active development, the ecosystem has hundreds of dApps.
The community regains trust, but the mention of $2800 is still ironic.
---
Why could now be a favorable time for investing?
The price is far from peak values, but the foundation of the project is significantly stronger than in 2021.
Development has not stopped for a single day — the network is stable, scalable, and actively used.
The DFINITY community launches dozens of new services every month — which means real demand for ICP.