Standard Allocations
Normalizing tokenomics for easy, cross-project analysis
Overview
Token allocation data is often inconsistent, with projects using non-standard labels for dozens of different allocations. A "Strategic Sale," "Seed Round," and "Private Sale" might be functionally identical, yet they are listed separately. This makes direct, cross-project comparison difficult and time-consuming.
Tokenomist solves this problem by normalizing tokenomics data into six distinct Standard Allocations. We group allocations based on their actual purpose and beneficiaries for reliable comparative analysis.
Methodology
Tokenomist Standard Allocation
Definitions
Examples
Founder / Team
The allocations for a group of people who has the most ownership and responsibility to drive business and product
Founder, Team, Advisors, Core Contributors, Future Employees
Private Investors
Allocations for entities that provide capital in investment rounds that are not publicly accessible, often at a lower valuation.
Strategic Round, Series A, Series B, Angel Investor VC
Public Investors
Investment offerings by the general public through launchpads or exchanges, typically providing immediate market liquidity.
Whitelist IDO (Initial Dex Offering), ICO (Initial Coin Offering), ILO (Initial Liquidity Offering), IEO (Initial Exchange Offering), Crowdsale Launchpad, Coinlist
Reserved
A strategic reserve whose purpose are not clearly stated or held by foundations or DAOs for future operational expenses and ecosystem initiatives.
Foundation, Treasury, Ecosystem, Marketing, Non-profit foundation, Ecosystem grants, Reserves
Community
Incentives designed to bootstrap the network and reward community members for active participation.
Airdrop, Liquidity mining, Staking, Rewards, Bounty programs, Contests, Initial LP
Other
Any allocation that does not fit into the other standard categories.
Mixed allocations
Practical Examples: How We Categorize Ambiguous Labels
Example 1: "Core Contributors" vs. "Team"
Scenario: A project's allocation chart shows 15% for "Core Contributors" but has no mention of a "Team" allocation.
Analysis: Many decentralized projects, especially those managed by a foundation, avoid corporate-sounding terms like "Team" or "Company." However, the economic purpose of the "Core Contributors" allocation is to compensate and incentivize the primary individuals building and maintaining the protocol. This is functionally identical to a traditional team allocation.
Our Categorization:
Core Contributorsis classified under Founder / Team.
Example 2: The "Ecosystem Fund" Dilemma
Scenario: A project allocates 20% to an "Ecosystem Fund." This could mean several things.
Analysis: The key question is: who controls the funds and for what purpose?
If the fund is controlled by the foundation or core team to be strategically deployed via grants, partnerships, or development bounties, its primary nature is a reserve.
If the fund is distributed directly to the public through automated, open programs like liquidity mining or staking rewards, it behaves more like a community incentive.
Our Categorization: We typically classify
Ecosystem Fundunder Reserved, as the funds are project-controlled reserves for future use.
Accessing Standard Allocations
Available to Pro users
Standard Allocations are integrated in several of our pages and features:
Token Page
On the token analysis page, at the Allocations section, Standards Allocation can be toggled to group the project’s allocations by stakeholder
Allocation Comparison & Screener Features
Additionally, they can be seen on the Allocation Comparison and Allocation Screener tools.
Using Standard Allocations
Token Page
Token allocations will be grouped by their respective Standard Allocation giving you a more objective view of the project’s token distribution.
Allocation Comparison
Visually benchmark projects side-by-side to instantly compare their token distribution strategies and spot outliers.
Check out how the Allocation Comparison feature can be utilized.
Allocation Screener
Filter the market with sorting and filter feature to find projects that match your thesis, such as who allocates the most to Founder & Team or which Layer 1 project has the most unlocked % of Community Allocation.
Learn more on how to use the Allocation Screener
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