How We Helped a Web3 Client Recover from a Failed Token Sale Platform

Technologies

• Backend: NestJS
• Frontend: Next.js
• Database: MongoDB
• Authentication: next-auth (standard) and wagmi (Web3)
• Blockchain: Solidity-based smart contracts with supporting scripts and tests in TypeScript
• Some smart contracts were also written in Rust for a possible future Solana deployment.

What We Built

We built a platform that lets crypto projects run token sales. A project can launch a campaign offering tokens at discounted prices. Fundraising happens through smart contracts, divided into several phases – each with its own fee model and settings.

At the end of a campaign, raised funds go to the project, and the platform operator collects the fees. Buyers receive tokens based on a vesting schedule – for example, 50% immediately, then 10% per month for the next 5 months.

The platform has four main components:

1. Frontend – the user interface
2. Frontend backend – a proxy layer for the frontend
3. Main backend – handles business logic and campaign data
4. Operations backend – responsible for signing and validating blockchain transactions, updating campaign statuses, and managing critical logic

There’s also an admin panel (built with Next.js) for managing campaigns and adjusting settings. It uses the built-in backend features of Next.js.

Challenges

The main challenge came from collaborating with external developers provided by the client, as some of their contributions needed major rework or extra oversight:

• The backend was unstable and full of syntax and runtime errors
• The frontend had many bugs, and all linters were disabled just to allow deployments
• Some components couldn’t be run at all – even by the client’s own team
• Code quality was inconsistent, with poor structure and minimal testing

In some cases, production deadlines slipped because critical bugs couldn’t be fixed on time. The impact of inconsistent contribution and lack of ownership became a recurring problem.

How It Was Resolved

The issues were raised repeatedly during calls with the client, with detailed feedback and examples of blockers. Over time, these concerns led to changes in the team setup. From that point forward, the client decided to work only with internal teams or trusted partners.

It was also decided to rebuild the product from scratch.

The decision to rebuild came after reviewing the existing codebase. It had widespread syntax and structural issues, making it nearly impossible to maintain or extend. No one on the client’s team could run it reliably.

There were also recurring platform outages caused by security gaps – including DDoS attacks from the same actor, who demanded payment to stop interfering with token sales. After several incidents, the client shifted to a clean, secure rebuild.

The new platform has already handled its first official production sale successfully, with stable performance and no major issues, even under heavy traffic.

Results

Key improvements:

• Complete UI redesign – nearly every screen was rebuilt
• Backend rewritten from scratch – the previous version was discarded due to quality issues
• Smart contracts almost entirely rewritten
• Full support for customizing campaign phases, fees, and token release schedules