4.0
/ 10
Best DeFi Strategy & Protocol Economics Advisors · Review
Forgd
Forgd is a New York based token launch platform and advisory firm that offers free self-service tools (Token Designer, market maker requests for quotes, exchange listing research, unlock monitoring) plus paid full-service advisory.
Best For
VC-backed projects preparing a TGE that want tokenomics, market maker and listing work from one provider
Headline Cost
Cash and tokens; no cash price published
Founded
—
Rank in category
13 of 15
Last Checked
22 September 2026
Score breakdown
Category rubric →Published research and models · 25%
6.0
Client-confirmed work · 20%
not published
Recent economics work · 20%
not published
Conflict-of-interest disclosure · 15%
5.0
Named team · 10%
7.0
Transparent terms · 10%
10.0
A criterion with nothing published scores 0, so a low score often means missing evidence rather than poor work. The headline 4.0 is the weighted mean of these marks — see our methodology. Not financial advice.
The evidence behind each mark
Scoring rules →| Criterion | Mark | What we found | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Published research and models · 25% | 6.0 | Publishes tokenomics articles, live research dashboards across hundreds of tokens and a free Token Designer simulator, but no open-source models or papers were found. | forgd.com ↗ | 22 September 2026 |
| Client-confirmed work · 20% | 0 · not published | No named client case studies were found on Forgd's site or blog; CoinDesk reports the CEO declined to name tokens launched through Forgd. | coindesk.com ↗ | 22 September 2026 |
| Recent economics work · 20% | 0 · not published | No dated economics work for a named client was found; blog posts, tools and security-only audits are not counted. | none | 22 September 2026 |
| Conflict-of-interest disclosure · 15% | 5.0 | The pricing page discloses that full-service engagements are paid in 'Cash & Tokens', but no conflict-of-interest policy was found despite the firm also operating a market maker marketplace. | forgd.webflow.io ↗ | 22 September 2026 |
| Named team · 10% | 7.0 | The about page names Shane Molidor (founder, LinkedIn and press-verifiable), Scott Byron and Florian Strauf, with little detail on the latter two. | forgd.webflow.io ↗ | 22 September 2026 |
| Transparent terms · 10% | 10.0 | Publishes self-service, framework and full-service tiers and a staged advisory programme with durations per stage (for example, tokenomics and protocol value flows: 5 activities, 25 days). No cash price. Read on Forgd's own Webflow site, as forgd.com now redirects these pages to a login. | forgd.webflow.io ↗ | 22 September 2026 |
What we liked
- Large public dataset and research dashboards on token launches (hundreds of tokens tracked), plus free tokenomics modelling tools
- Publishes a staged advisory programme with estimated durations per stage
- Named founder with a verifiable background (Shane Molidor, former AscendEX CEO)
Where it falls short
- No named client case studies; the CEO declined to name launched tokens in CoinDesk coverage
- Accepts 'Cash & Tokens' for full-service work and runs a market maker marketplace, yet publishes no conflict-of-interest policy
- Economic design is one practice among several launch and capital-markets services, not the core business
| # | Service | Best for | Cost | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gauntlet | Lending and DEX protocols needing parameter and incentive optimization | Not published as a price list; the Compound contract was $2.3M per year in DAO proposals | 8.6 |
| 2 | LlamaRisk | Large lending protocols and stablecoin issuers that need a risk framework, parameter design and oracle-based risk automation | Not published as a price list; Aave renewal priced at $3.5M for one year (GHO plus 5,000 AAVE) | 7.6 |
| 3 | Tokenomics.net | Early-stage founders who want a fixed-price, fully documented token model before a raise | Data Room tiers $15,000, $20,000 and $25,000 | 7.1 |
| 4 | CryptoEconLab | Infrastructure, DePIN and AI protocols that need quantitative mechanism design and simulation | Design from $50,000 to $150,000+ | 6.9 |
| 5 | FinDaS | Early-stage teams that want a fixed-price token design or audit with an optional simulation model | Design $24,000 cash, or cash plus 0.5–1% of supply | 6.3 |
| 6 | BlockScience | Protocols that want simulation-based, research-grade mechanism and governance analysis | Not published | 6.0 |
| 7 | 8Blocks | Pre-TGE teams and Web2 or RWA businesses that want a token model or audit tied to business revenue | Workshop $2,500; Clutch lists $5,000+ minimum and $200-300/hr | 5.7 |
| 8 | Simplicity Group | Early-stage projects with modest budgets that want token design and GTM support from one vendor | Tokenomics from $5,000 | 5.6 |
| 9 | Chainrisk | Lending and perpetuals protocols that need a simulation-based economic audit of collateral, liquidation and interest rate parameters | Not published on the website; Compound forum proposals quoted a 90,000 USDC three-month pilot and a 500,000 USD annual retainer | 5.4 |
| 10 | Three Sigma | DeFi protocols that want a code audit and an economic or parameter review from the same vendor | Not published | 5.3 |
| 11 | Nethermind | Protocols wanting tokenomics analysis from a large engineering and security firm | Not published | 5.2 |
| 12 | Block Analitica | Lending and stablecoin protocols that need ongoing collateral risk parameters and monitoring rather than a one-off token design | Not published | 5.2 |
| 13 | Forgd | VC-backed projects preparing a TGE that want tokenomics, market maker and listing work from one provider | Cash and tokens; no cash price published | 4.0 |
| 14 | Delphi Consulting | Larger projects that want token advisory backed by a large research desk and are comfortable with a group that also invests | Not published | 3.8 |
| 15 | Blockphrase | Projects in India or the UAE that want token design combined with development and compliance work from one vendor | Not published | 2.4 |