Santamint

Maxim Belaskovich, a former IBM software engineer and seasoned trader with over a decade of experience using sentiment analysis and Elliott waves, identified a critical gap in the crypto ecosystem. While Bloomberg and Reuters dominate information delivery for traditional companies, no equivalent existed for cryptocurrency projects and tokens. Maxim envisioned Santamint as "the Bloomberg of cryptocurrencies"—a comprehensive information layer that would aggregate, analyze, and visualize data about crypto assets and token activities in one place.

Santamint launched with an innovative dual-funding model. In February 2017, they conducted a presale, raising approximately $150,000 when Ethereum was trading at just $11 per token (12,000 Ethereum). This presale capital, which remained largely unspent, provided crucial runway. By July 2017, they executed their main ICO from July 1-5, selling 45,000 Ethereum and raising $2 million. They issued 45 million SAN tokens to ICO participants and 15 million to presale participants, creating a total circulating supply of 60 million tokens with another 20 million reserved for team and advisors (unlocked over two years). The team grew to 8 full-time employees, supplemented by part-time contractors for PR and marketing.

Maxim emphasized that they were "releasing it" but not yet charging customers. The platform allowed Slack community members to access early versions of their data analysis, but monetization remained a secondary concern at launch. When pressed on revenue timelines, Maxim acknowledged they could charge immediately but chose to prioritize breadth of data coverage. "There is a very big demand for structured and brought in one place, information for all crypto assets," he explained, noting that hedge funds had already made specific requests to purchase their data. However, building the foundational data layer took priority over rapid revenue generation. They projected generating meaningful revenue within 6 months once the full dataset was complete. The token-staked payment model—where users could deposit SAN tokens for access rather than paying in fiat currency—represented a novel crypto-native approach.

With $2 million in runway from their ICO, Santamint was focused on becoming the authoritative data source for crypto investors. Their planned product would flag major token movements (such as large holders transferring tokens to exchanges), provide comprehensive project analytics, and serve both retail investors and institutional clients like hedge funds. By positioning themselves between raw blockchain data (available via Etherscan) and consumer-facing platforms like Coinbase, they aimed to capture the growing market for cryptocurrency market intelligence.