251: From Bots to Breakthroughs — Bandit Network’s Plan to Reinvent Web3 Growth

Web3 with Sam Kamani

How do you grow a Web3 startup without falling into the same old traps — airdrops, bots, and unsustainable hype?

In this episode, I speak with Sandesh, founder of Bandit Network, who shares how they’re building growth infrastructure for Web3 — combining off-chain and on-chain data, enabling sustainable campaigns, and even launching their own rollup for deeper integrations.

We explore:

• Why airdrops and point systems often fail

• How meme launchpads are evolving into engagement tools

• Mapping Twitter usernames to wallet addresses

• Growth lessons from powering campaigns for Bonk, Brave, and Shardeum

If you care about Web3 user acquisition, retention, and real community-led engagement — this one's for you.

Key Timestamps

[00:00:00] Introduction: Sam sets up the episode and introduces Sandesh from Bandit Network. [00:01:00] Bandit Overview: Sandesh explains what Bandit does and how his journey from AI to Web3 began. [00:04:00] Early Web3 Involvement: Sandesh shares how his AI-powered creator startup was acquired and how that led to Bandit. [00:06:00] The Problem with Growth Tools: Why airdrop tools failed and how Bandit builds Lego-like infrastructure for campaigns. [00:09:00] Trends in Growth: Why meme launchpads are evolving into community engagement tools. [00:13:00] Meme Campaign Example: How one community uses roasts and meme voting as engagement loops. [00:15:00] Airdrops vs Bots: Sandesh explains how Bandit uses tools like Proof of Humanity and Bitcoin Passport to combat sybil attacks. [00:18:00] Challenges and Monetization: Bandit’s biggest challenge is staying trend-adaptable; revenue is SaaS + custom token deals. [00:21:00] What’s Next: Bandit is launching a rollup protocol for mapping Web2 identities to Web3 wallets. [00:24:00] The Bigger Vision: Building a decentralized growth protocol with support from QuickNode. [00:25:00] Fundraising: Bandit is raising $3–4M in their current seed round. [00:26:00] Closing Thoughts: Sam recaps why Bandit solves a real and pressing pain point in Web3 growth.

Connect

http://bandit.network/

https://x.com/OnBndit

https://www.linkedin.com/company/onbndit/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandeshbsuvarna/

https://x.com/sandeshsuvarna
Disclaimer

Nothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. Finally, it would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.
Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/