Ethereum is a decentralized blockchain system that operates on an open-source platform. It has its digital currency called Ether (ETH) and serves as a foundation for various other cryptocurrencies. Additionally, it enables the execution of decentralized smart contracts.

Vitalik Buterin outlined the concept of Ethereum in a whitepaper published in 2013. To fund the project, Buterin, and the co-founders organized a public crowd sale in 2014, during which they raised $18.3 million worth of Bitcoin.

The initial price of Ethereum during the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) was $0.311, and more than 60 million Ether were sold. Considering the current price of Ethereum, this translates to an impressive annualized return on investment (ROI) of over 270%, nearly quadrupling the initial investment each year since the summer of 2014.