How are you going to improve it without ICO? Can you get volunteers to do it for the community for free?
If you launch a coin fairly and people see value in it, it is open source and if your really create something of value other devs will join you before you know it. You don't need funding at all for a coin. Also there is other avenues like devcoin-code example.
When you stick longterm with the coin usually your community donates from time to time to your causes.
If you want to get rich and earn honor in this place you better produce something that has value and mine and buy it yourself like everyone else (no freebees). This way you can have big success. Just be clean, clean, clean and fair, fair, fair and good code.
If you launch with ICO you are already dead before you started. If your code is good they'll copy you and community will support the clone. That's the game.
ICO = trash ; even when the code is good.
These coins should be 'money' not 'garbage'. People have high expectations. Look at LTC and coins that have longterm communities to get an idea.
People only need ico or premine if they want cash out fast for no work and leave everything behind. We know human nature.