234: Building Web3 Communities That Stick—Jack from TON Society on Growth, Games & Engagement

Web3 with Sam Kamani

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2M ago 36:56

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How do we bring the next billion users into Web3?

So many crypto projects have promised mass adoption, but most new users don’t stick around. What if we could change that?

In this episode of Web3 with Sam Kamani, I sit down with Jack from TON Society to discuss:

✅ Why Telegram’s ecosystem is key to onboarding millions

✅ How TON Society is using gamification to build sticky communities

✅ The success of TON-based viral mini-apps & games

✅ What most crypto projects get wrong about user retention

✅ How to make Web3 invisible—so mass adoption can happen

TON’s ecosystem is growing fast—this episode will give you insights into why!

Key Timestamps

[00:00:00] Introduction: Sam introduces Jack from TON Society and the discussion on crypto onboarding, gamification & community-building.

[00:01:00] What is TON Society?

A community-driven movement focused on developers & creators
Why TON leans into Telegram’s activist culture
TON’s mission: Frictionless transactions & global accessibility

[00:03:00] Jack’s Journey into TON Society

TON Society started as grassroots events but grew to a global movement
Running 182+ events worldwide, onboarding thousands of developers
Why community-driven growth is TON’s core strategy

[00:05:00] TON’s Expansion in the US & Asia

US expansion plans with a friendlier crypto regulatory landscape
Why Asia’s developer ecosystem is perfect for TON’s super app model
How WeChat, Grab & Kakao prepared Asia for Telegram’s mini-apps

[00:07:00] Why Telegram’s Distribution Model is a Game-Changer

TON leverages Telegram’s unique viral mechanics
Why TON mini-apps scale faster than traditional Web3 dApps
No algorithmic censorship—every user sees content directly

[00:10:00] The Virality of TON Mini-Apps

How Notcoin reached 35M users in 3 months
Hamster Kombat: 300M+ users in six months
Why Telegram’s viral sharing beats traditional social media algorithms

[00:12:00] The Problem With Incentivized Growth

TON’s rapid growth attracted new users—but they didn’t stick
How airdrops & tap-to-earn lead to high churn rates
The key to sustainable adoption: strong post-airdrop utility

[00:14:00] TON’s Sustainable Growth Model

How Bloom’s DEX & MemePad strategy retains users
Why tokens need real-world utility to avoid mass exits
What Web3 projects must learn from failed incentive programs

[00:16:00] Gamifying Web3 Adoption: Open League & Hackers League

How TON Society’s competitions bring in high-quality developers
Hackathons fueling TON’s developer ecosystem
Why Web3 needs better onboarding experiences for builders

[00:18:00] TON’s Big Bet: Skill-Based Gaming & Crypto Adoption

Skill-based competitions vs. Meme coins—why retention is 6x higher
How TON’s gaming tournaments could drive real Web3 engagement
The missing piece: fun, sustainable, & rewarding games

[00:22:00] Why Crypto Needs to Be Invisible for Mass Adoption

The biggest misconception in Web3: people don’t care about profit
Convenience > Decentralization (for the average user)
Why Web3 should work in the background, like any other tech

[00:27:00] TON’s Next Phase: Onboarding Household IP

Bringing major gaming IPs into TON’s mini-app ecosystem
How TON is targeting mainstream entertainment brands
Why traditional US-based IP might not be the future of gaming

[00:30:00] Final Thoughts & Call to Action

TON Society is running more hackathons & looking for great builders
Investors & projects looking to get involved in TON’s ecosystem
How to connect with TON Society & start building

Connect

https://society.ton.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ton-society/

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

https://x.com/ton_society

https://x.com/jbfxdotme

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.

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#Tech #Sam Kamani