How to determine if a cryptocurrency has a promising future?
Whenever I am looking into an ICO, there are some things I generally take into consideration.

1. Team

-Make sure the team is real, and verifiable. Check linkedin, or other sites to verify the teams identity. 

2. Token allocation and funding

-Check their practices and see if they are common. Pundix’s ICO is a great example. Removing total investments as soon as an ICO’s coin reaches an exchange is a widely practiced strategy. Lately, more ICO’s are looking for ways to ensure the token is held for longer terms.

3. Token or coin supply

-Check to see the burn policy, and the % of coins going to the public vs the investors. 

4. Purchase cap per person

-Some ICO's have bonuses for early investors with huge capital. Make sure there isn't 1 person holding a majority of the coin. 

5. Know the Market Caps

-Try to guesstimate and speculate a realistic market cap for an idea. If the market cap is low based on the fundraising, but something that could potentially become huge, there’s a lot of potential. 

6. Project idea

-What is the value proposition? Does it really need blockchain? Or is it just riding the hype? Make sure that Blockchain is necessary. 

7. Likely to end up on exchanges

-To cash out easily, it must hit an exchange. The more likely, the easier it is to get your profit. 

8. Working MVP or product

-Are you investing in a product or an idea that has to be proven and validated? The more developed the product is, the safer it would be to hold long term.

9. Activity among fans/investors

-Check telegram and other sites to see the feedback/hype from other investors.