Coinbase Acquires Echo for $375M – And It Could Spark the Return of ICOs
Coinbase has acquired Echo, an on-chain capital-raising platform based by crypto veteran Cobie, in a $375 million deal that would reshape how tasks elevate funds and doubtlessly reignite curiosity in public token gross sales, a format as soon as synonymous with the preliminary coin providing (ICO) increase of 2017.
In a statement published on its weblog, Coinbase described Echo as a number one platform that makes community-based fundraising extra accessible and clear.
The acquisition, led by Coinbase executives Shan Aggarwal and Aklil Ibssa, seeks to simplify how tasks elevate funds immediately from their supporters whereas opening early funding alternatives to retail customers.
Coinbase stated Echo’s instruments would assist “create extra accessible, environment friendly, and clear capital markets” by connecting tasks immediately with their communities.
The transfer comes as public token gross sales, as soon as considered out of date, are quietly making a comeback by new, regulated platforms designed to keep away from the pitfalls of the previous.
Coinbase Expands Full-Stack Crypto Infrastructure With Echo Buyout
In the announcement, Coinbase stated integrating Echo’s instruments will permit firms to boost capital totally on-chain, becoming a member of tasks with traders in a seamless ecosystem.
The firm plans to broaden assist past crypto tokens to tokenized securities and real-world belongings, leveraging Echo’s current infrastructure.
Since its launch in 2024, Echo has helped tasks elevate over $200 million throughout greater than 300 offers. Its Sonar product has already powered a number of high-profile token gross sales, together with Plasma’s XPL token, which drew sturdy market consideration.
Coinbase executives stated the acquisition extends the firm’s attain throughout the complete lifecycle of crypto ventures, from token creation and cap desk administration, supported by its earlier acquisition of Liquifi, to fundraising and secondary market buying and selling.
“We’re constructing a full-stack answer for crypto tasks and traders,” the weblog publish said.
Cobie, Echo’s founder, confirmed the acquisition on X, saying he “actually didn’t assume Echo can be offered to Coinbase, however right here we’re.”
He added that Echo would “stay a standalone platform underneath its present model for now,” whereas Sonar can be built-in into Coinbase’s ecosystem to create new pathways for founders and traders.
When Echo launched in beta in April 2024, Cobie described it as a 95% lengthy shot however a “noble failure value trying.”
Instead, the platform turned one of the most talked-about new ventures in on-chain fundraising, pushed by its mission to let communities make investments collectively in early-stage crypto tasks.
The acquisition provides to a string of Coinbase expansions this October, reflecting the change’s broader effort to turn into a full-stack crypto infrastructure supplier.
Within the final two weeks, the firm has launched decentralized exchange (DEX) trading in its mobile app, reintroduced staking services in New York, and filed for a U.S. National Trust Charter.
It additionally unveiled new payment tools under its Coinbase Business suite and made a brand new investment in India’s CoinDCX exchange, strengthening its international attain.
Coinbase bought UpOnly NFT from well-known crypto dealer Cobie for $25 million, resurrecting the podcast present “UpOnly” after three years halt.#Coinbase #UpOnlyNFT #Cobiehttps://t.co/vrIurEXZR3
— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) October 21, 2025
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has additionally reconnected with Cobie on a cultural stage. Earlier this week, Coinbase purchased the UpOnly NFT from Cobie for $25 million, reviving the widespread “UpOnly” podcast that paused throughout the FTX collapse.
Is This How ICOs Make a Comeback—Transparent, Regulated, and On-chain?
The relevance of Coinbase’s acquisition extends past company growth. It signifies a rising pattern of regulated, community-driven token gross sales, a shift that would outline the subsequent section of crypto fundraising.
The transfer additionally arrives as market analysts report a renewed urge for food for public gross sales, as soon as the hallmark of ICOs.
According to Tiger Research, platforms akin to Sonar, Buidlpad, Legion, and Kaito are main a brand new wave of compliant launchpads that mix accessibility with investor safety by KYC and transparency measures.
Back then, ICOs allowed 1000’s of blockchain tasks to boost billions of {dollars} immediately from traders by promoting tokens earlier than launching. Ethereum, EOS, Chainlink, Filecoin, and Tezos had been amongst the tasks that started by ICOs.
However, the increase resulted in controversy as scams, poor oversight, and an absence of regulatory readability triggered authorized crackdowns.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) later categorised many ICOs as unregistered securities choices, forcing several projects to return investor funds or pay fines.
What makes this new wave totally different is its construction. Modern token gross sales are self-hosted, clear, and sometimes ruled by compliance frameworks such as Europe’s MiCA law, which offers clear pointers for token issuance.
These guardrails make the setting far safer than throughout the ICO frenzy, the place traders usually confronted opaque phrases and rug pulls.
Echo’s Sonar product suits neatly into this evolution. It permits founders to host their very own public token gross sales immediately on blockchains like Base, Solana, Cardano, and Hyperliquid.
For Coinbase, integrating Sonar may rework its change from a buying and selling hub into a worldwide fundraising gateway, giving verified customers entry to early-stage funding alternatives beforehand reserved for enterprise capital companies.
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