AMA Questions to Ask a Crypto Project: The Due Diligence List
Sandy
Head of Content · Block AI
Quick Answer
The best AMA questions cut through marketing language and reveal what a crypto project is actually built on: team credibility, tokenomics, security, roadmap accountability, and investor alignment. This guide covers the questions that matter — for both investors attending AMAs and project teams preparing for them.
Why AMA Questions Matter
An AMA (Ask Me Anything) is one of the few moments in a crypto project's lifecycle when founders are answering unscripted questions in real time. The questions asked determine whether that transparency is genuine or performative.
Good questions reveal things marketing materials hide. They surface how founders think under pressure, whether tokenomics have been designed with community interests in mind, and whether roadmap commitments are backed by accountability or optimism.
This guide covers two audiences: investors who want to do real due diligence during a project's AMA, and project teams who want to prepare for the questions that matter.
Due Diligence Questions (For Investors Attending AMAs)
Team & Credibility
"Can you link your professional history publicly — LinkedIn, GitHub, or prior project work?" Legitimate teams are identifiable. Anonymous teams aren't inherently scams, but they carry higher risk. Ask what verification the project offers if the team is pseudonymous.
"Have any of you been involved in a project that failed or was abandoned? What happened?" The answer reveals both honesty and experience. A founder who has navigated a difficult situation and learned from it is often more credible than one with a clean-sounding but vague background.
"Who are your advisors and what are they actually doing?" Advisor lists are often padded with names who signed on for a token allocation and contribute nothing. Ask specifically what work advisors are doing and how frequently they're engaged.
Tokenomics
"What is the full token supply breakdown — team, investors, ecosystem, treasury, and public?" Get specific numbers. "Team gets X%" should come with exact percentages and absolute token counts, not ranges.
"What are the vesting terms for team and investor allocations?" Red flag: any team or investor allocation that unlocks fully at TGE. Healthy vesting: 12-month cliff, 24–36 month linear unlock. Ask whether advisors are on the same vesting as investors.
"What is the unlock schedule for the first 12 months post-TGE?" This tells you how much selling pressure the token faces from early holders in its most vulnerable period.
"At what valuation did investors purchase, and what is that relative to the TGE valuation?" A 50x markup between early investor price and TGE valuation means early investors have enormous incentive to sell immediately at TGE — regardless of whether they "believe in the project."
"Is there a token burn mechanism? If so, what triggers it and what are the actual numbers?" Vague "we plan to implement burns" is not the same as a specific, already-implemented mechanism.
Security
"Has your smart contract been audited? By whom, when, and can you share the report?" The auditor's name and report are both public if the audit is real. SolidProof, CertiK, Hacken, Trail of Bits, and OpenZeppelin are recognized names. Unknown "auditors" are red flags.
"What critical or high-severity findings were in the audit, and how were they resolved?" Every non-trivial audit finds something. A project that claims "no findings" on a complex contract is either lying or used an inadequate auditor.
"What is your bug bounty program?" A live bug bounty program (ImmuneFi is standard) signals the team is serious about ongoing security, not just a one-time audit.
"Who controls the multi-sig / admin keys? What is the threshold?" Contracts with a single admin key controlled by the founder are a rugpull risk. A 3-of-5 or 4-of-7 multi-sig with identified key holders is far safer.
Roadmap Accountability
"What was on your roadmap for Q2 2026 (or the last 90 days), and what was delivered?" This is the most revealing question of any AMA. Compare the answer against their public roadmap and announcements. Founders who confidently answer this with specifics have built a culture of accountability. Those who pivot to future plans are telling you something.
"What is the single biggest thing that has taken longer than expected, and why?" Honest founders have an answer. The reason reveals whether delays are due to technical complexity (understandable), team issues (concerning), or market conditions (sometimes true but often an excuse).
Business & Sustainability
"How much runway does the treasury have in USD at current burn rate?" Without a clear answer here, you don't know how long the project can operate. Projects with under 12 months runway are in a vulnerable position regardless of token price.
"Who are your paying customers or partners today (not future letters of intent)?" Signed, live partnerships are very different from LOIs and "we're in discussions." Ask for current customers, not pipeline.
"What percentage of the token's value is speculative vs. backed by current utility or revenue?" This forces founders to be honest about where their project actually is vs. where they hope it will be.
Questions for Project Teams: How to Prepare
If you're running an AMA, the questions above are what serious investors will ask. Prepare specific, numerical answers for each one in advance.
The questions you shouldn't dodge:
- Tokenomics details with exact numbers
- Audit findings (share the full report, not just "we passed")
- Delayed roadmap items (own them with a specific reason and new timeline)
- Investor valuation vs. TGE price (be honest or sophisticated investors will calculate it themselves)
The format that builds the most trust:
- Have a founder and CTO/lead developer both available
- Don't dodge any question — "I'll follow up on that" is acceptable for things you genuinely don't have data on; pivoting to a different topic is not
- Post a written summary within 24 hours of the AMA
Block AI AMA Services
Block AI provides end-to-end AMA production for crypto projects — from pre-AMA community promotion and question collection to moderation, real-time engagement, and post-AMA summary content. Contact us or visit /product/ama-services to discuss your next AMA.