Thanks for your answer
Given the recent regulatory uncertainties around ICOs, Dero is going to make sure we do thorough research on the subject before we give a firm answer. They're not a bad idea, we just really need to make sure we choose the correct path, and for now, all paths are less clear until we have some regulatory certainty.
I find this to be an interesting answer. It means the Dero developers want to be regulatory compliant/friendly (like Cardano) despite being a privacy blockchain. It puts Dero in quite a unique position, quite unlike any other coin, I think. This and other responses from them (and the feature wishlist of Dero, especially the combination of privacy and transparency via certification/identity verification) reveal the Dero team to be extremely ambitious - they really are designing a coin for the big time, ready to challenge the likes of bitcoin and ethereum. (Probably 'coin' is the wrong term; we should really be calling it an asset or cryptoasset.)
I am still waiting to hear how the developers intend to solve the problem of scalability with regard to the energy use for any proof of work network. I know it is on the featurelist, but no information has been released as to how it will be achieved. I have asked that question a couple of times on this message board, and I have also asked it in private correspondence with the team, and have yet to hear any answer.