POLS is an [ERC-20](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/erc-20) token on Ethereum, which is secured by a [proof-of-stake](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/proof-of-stake-pos) consensus mechanism that requires validators to stake 32 Ether. A set of decentralized nodes validates transactions and secures the Ethereum blockchain.

Polkastarter claims to offer an alternative for retail investors interested in IDOs by limiting the allocation amount. This means projects can also gain a larger following of token holders by distributing tokens across a wide audience. Until June 2022, Polkastarter has helped launch over 110 projects, consisting of token sales, NFTs and metaverse sales. The platform has raised over $50M for its projects reaching a collective all-time high market capitalization of $3.2B. Aside from the launchpad itself, Polkastarter runs an internal incubation and advisory program, bringing together experience and lessons learned from 110 project launches to nurture and grow Web3 projects. Polkastarter also features a dedicated marketing team of over 10 members, including video production and design. Polkastarter's main offering is its fixed-swap smart contract, which allows projects to easily launch [liquidity pools](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/liquidity-pool) that execute orders at a fixed price — rather than using the [AMM](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/automated-market-maker-amm) model made popular by [Uniswap](https://coinmarketcap.com/exchanges/uniswap-v2/). Beyond this, other key features of the platform include permissionless listings, anti-scam capabilities and KYC integration.

Polkastarter features an executive team with over three decades of combined experience in tech firms. It was co-founded by Daniel Stockhaus, Tiago Martins and Miguel Leite, who currently hold the roles of CEO, CTO and COO respectively, supported by a team of over 30 members. Miguel Leite is a serial entrepreneur and marketing extraordinaire. After some successful ventures he turned to web3, co-founding Coinvision and BEPRO Network, before the incredibly successful and industry-changing launch of Polkastarter. Daniel Stockhaus is a serial entrepreneur credited with co-founding a highly successful e-commerce firm known as LiGo, as well as the digital growth agency Oliphant Ltd. Prior to this, he worked as a digital media designer for Fitch, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies. Tiago Martins, on the other hand, is a former professor of computer science and an experienced developer with expertise in online education and product development. He is also the co-founder of Codeplace, an online platform that teaches the fundamentals of web development.

Polkastarter is a decentralized fundraising platform empowering Web3 projects to launch and raise funds through multi-chain token pools whilst significantly growing their communities. The platform supports [initial dex offerings](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/initial-dex-offering) (IDOs) across major blockchains, including Ethereum, BNB Chain, Solana, Polkadot, Polygon, Avalanche and Celo. The platform enables investors to secure early access to IDOs, NFTs and Gaming Web3 innovation. It is most commonly used by early-stage [blockchain](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/blockchain) projects that want to raise capital and easily distribute their tokens at the same time. Through Polkastarter, blockchain projects can easily create their own fixed-chain swap pools, which allow them to securely raise funds, while users can invest without risks, since swaps are automatically executed by [smart contracts](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/smart-contract). POLS is the native utility token of the Polkastarter platform. Its main utility is gaining access to pools and giving projects the option to give priority access to POLS holders. Users are incentivised to stake POLS, rewarding the most loyal members. In Q4 2022, Polkastarter will release new community utility features, such as governance and POLS Power Boosters (increasing your allowlisting success). The platform first went live in December 2020, and has quickly grown to become one of the most commonly used platforms for initial DEX offerings (IDOs) operating on the Ethereum blockchain.