The Virtuals ecosystem has proven something incredible: that Web3 can launch projects with community energy and conviction. The staking and points system around the Geneses launchpad brilliantly aligned incentives for participation, bootstrapped liquidity, and gave projects their first injection of attention.

This launch model has been a success in many ways:

• Founders get instant visibility and early backers at values that reflect risk and reward.
  
• Communities get a way to show conviction before products are live.
  
• Ecosystems see a constant stream of experiments, driving growth.
  

But beneath this innovation lies a structural problem: what happens between token launch and product launch?

The Reality Check: Post-Launch Challenges

Despite early hype, many projects stumble once the token is live. Why?

1. Inconsistent Revenues
   
   • Projects often rely on trading fees to fund operations after token launch.
     
   • But revenues fluctuate wildly. One week might bring $10K, the next only hundreds.
     
   • You can’t pay devs, scope features, or run campaigns on numbers that unstable.
     
2. Lack of Transparency in the Build Process
   
   • Where exactly is a project in its build journey?
     
   • How much will it cost to get from whitepaper → MVP → income-generating product?
     
   • Investors and communities are often left in the dark.
     
3. Unclear Delivery Path for Founders
   
   • Many teams don’t know what milestones are expected post-launch.
     
   • What does “PMF test” really mean? What does a proper GTM plan cost?
     
   • Without structure, founders guess — and sometimes guess wrong.
     
4. Investor Blind Spots
   
   • Treasury spending is opaque.
     
   • There’s no systematic way for investors to tie capital releases to progress.
     
   • Trust erodes when investors can’t see where their money is going.
     

The result?
Projects risk burning early momentum.
Founders risk losing runway.
Communities risk losing faith.

A Missing Layer: Pre- and Post-Launch Rigor

Virtuals nailed the launch moment. But what’s missing is the structured scaffolding around it:

• Pre-launch rigor: helping projects scope MVPs, cost out GTM, and validate PMF before tokens trade.
  
• Post-launch rigor: ensuring that once tokens are live, projects have transparent milestones, accountable use of funds, and a clear pathway to product-market fit.
  

Without these, launchpads risk becoming hype cycles — not sustainable growth engines.

Enter Ground Zero: The Pre-Launchpad for Web3

That’s where Ground Zero comes in.

We’re building the missing layer in the Virtuals funnel: a pre-launchpad proving ground that turns whitepapers into launchpad-ready products.

Here’s how it works:

Projects self-submit data. Our AI evaluates them across 7 categories: MVP, PMF, Team, Industry, Community, Go-To-Market, and Competitors.

First Raise (up to $10K)
 If a project scores above 25/100, they unlock their first raise — up to $10K.
 This funds:
* An initial marketing campaign to test traction
* Technical scoping: roadmap & cost to MVP or income-generating product
* Costed PMF testing plan
* Costed GTM strategy
⠀
Second Raise (Milestone-Based)
 Armed with a clear scope, projects then raise enough to fund either:
* The build of their MVP, or
* The path to an income-generating product

Funding is released in tranches tied to progress reports, with investors voting on whether to release the next tranche.

Why This Matters

For founders:

• Clarity: No more guessing. Step-by-step plan with costs attached.
  
• Runway Extension: Micro-raises keep the lights on before product revenue.
  
• Proof: Transparent scoring + campaigns build credibility.
  

For investors:

• Transparency: See how far along projects are, what’s been spent, and what’s next.
  
• Capital Protection: Funds released only when milestones are hit.
  
• Signal: Scored, campaign-tested projects stand out from the noise.
  

For Virtuals:

• Sustainability: Keeps projects alive after launch.
  
• Trust: Proves that launchpad-backed projects are credible, not just hyped.
  
• Ecosystem Growth: More projects make it to MVP, PMF, and beyond.
  

Closing the Loop

The Virtuals launchpad is the best ignition engine Web3 has seen — but an ignition engine alone isn’t enough. Rockets need a trajectory, fuel management, and guidance systems.

Ground Zero is that system.

We provide the rigor, transparency, and funding structure to ensure that projects don’t just launch — they land.

From whitepaper → MVP → product-market fit → launchpad.
With proof at every step.

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