If you’re not sure what an ICO is, well, join the club — but you’re in the right place to find out.

Margaux Avedisian of Transform Group stopped by to explain it to us. She is in the business of getting attention to initial coin offerings and token sales, and has been steeped in bitcoin longer than the Winklevii. (Did they hang on to that $11 million worth they picked up in 2013?)

Avedisian discusses the pitfalls many companies face in the ICO world, which can include going to jail for securities fraud — yikes! (This happens if your tokens don’t do anything — then you might be selling securities without a license.)

But she also discusses the transformative potential ICOs have to deliver value to companies that might otherwise have a hard time even securing a bank account. For investors in ICOs, mostly crypto-enthusiasts at the moment, but growing ever more mainstream, Avedisian discusses a pre-ICO pool for accredited investors that will include select ICOs.

The total crypto market cap is leaping upward at an insane pace. If you think it’s all a Ponzi scheme and bitcoin investors are stupid a la Jamie Dimon, you have something to learn and Avedisian is just the one to teach you.