So You've Got an App?

Now You Need Distribution!

Using Unicorn.eth to Get Discovered by Communities

Russell Castagnaro - Cofounder/ CTO  russell@MyUnicornAccount.com

The Developer's Reality

You Built It. Now What?

  • ✅ Built a great product
  • ✅ Deployed smart contracts
  • ✅ Created beautiful UI
  • ❌ Can't get users to actually USE it

 

"How do I get viral growth? Or at least decent usage?"

Why Most dApps Die

It's Not the Tech. It's Distribution.

Barriers:

Cold Start Problem

  • You need users to get users
  • No one wants to be first
  • "Why should I try this unknown dApp?"

Trust Barrier

  • "Is this developer trustworthy?"
  • "Is this dApp/ contract safe?"
  • "Will I lose my funds?"

Friction Barrier

  • Need to connect wallet
  • Need ETH on THIS chain
  • Need to pay gas fees

The Growth Gap

Traditional Launch vs. What You Need

Traditional:

Build → Post on Twitter → 50 users → 5 transact
"How do I get to 10,000 users?"

What You Actually Need:

Build → Get discovered in portals → 1000s of users →
100s transact → They tell others → Viral growth

 

"You can't get viral growth if users bounce at the first transaction"

The Question

The Question Every Developer Asks

"How do I get my dApp in front of established communities who will actually USE it, not just connect and leave?"

What You Actually Need

The Four Things That Enable Distribution

  • ✅ Access to existing communities with ready wallets
  • ✅ Onboarding for new users sans education
  • ✅ Sponsored gas so cost isn't a barrier
  • ✅ Built-in trust from community leaders
  • ✅ Frictionless experience so users actually transact

Easy onboarding helps. But you need discovery where users already are.

How Unicorn Solves This

Unicorn = Portal-Based Discovery

Four Pillars:

1. Access to Established Portals

  • app.ethdenver.com (ETHDenver)
  • app.polygon.ac (Polygon ecosystem)
  • app.mylink.fun (Guerrilla community)
  • Users ALREADY use these for dApps

2. Built-In Trust

  • Users trust ETHDenver, Polygon, etc.
  • Your dApp appears alongside vetted apps
  • Trust transfers to YOUR app

3. Sponsored Gas

  • Users don't need ETH (Pol, Arb,etc)
  • Remove #1 reason people bounce

4. Frictionless Discovery

  • User clicks "Launch" from portal
  • Unicorn generates auth dynamically
  • Lands auto-connected, ready to transact

Portal Examples

Users Already Browse for dApps

Show Screenshots/Logos:

  • app.ethdenver.com - ETHDenver community
  • app.polygon.ac - Polygon ecosystem
  • app.mylink.fun - MyLink community

 

Get your dApp listed where thousands already live

The Difference

Other Solutions vs. Unicorn

Unicorn Other Solutions
Get discovered in portals Help users connect
User communities exist Find users
Portal distributes for you Solo marketing
Sponsored transactions Users need gas

Real Developer Use Cases

How Developers Actually Use This

Four Examples:

NFT Project Traditional: 50 mints → struggle Unicorn: Listed on app.ethdenver.com → 1000 mints in 24 hours

DeFi Protocol Traditional: Users need ETH → lost 90% Unicorn: Listed on app.polygon.ac → 10x usage

On-Chain Game Traditional: Can't get first 100 players Unicorn: Listed on portal → 500 players week 1

Governance App Traditional: 2% participation Unicorn: Gasless voting via portal → 10% participation

The Math

The Numbers That Matter

Comparison:

Traditional Launch: Build alone → Market alone → 50-100 users in month 1

Unicorn Distribution: Build → Get listed in portals → 1000s of users in week 1

Conversion Rate:

  • Without Unicorn: 1000 portal visitors → 5 transact (0.5%)
  • With Unicorn: 1000 portal visitors → 700 transact (70%)

Not 10% improvement. The difference between side project and real traction.

Integration - How Easy Is It?

5 Minutes of Code

Three Steps:

1. Add One Connector

import { unicornConnector } from '@unicorn.eth/autoconnect';

connectors: [
  unicornConnector({
    clientId: process.env.VITE_THIRDWEB_CLIENT_ID,
    factoryAddress: '0xD771615c873ba5a2149D5312448cE01D677Ee48A',
    defaultChain: base.id,
  }),
]

2. Add One Component

<UnicornAutoConnect />

3. Use Standard Wagmi

const { sendTransaction } = useSendTransaction();
// Same code you already use!

Integration - How Easy Is It?

Demo Time

Let Me Show You How Discovery Works

Demo Flow:

  1. Visit live portal (app.ethdenver.com)
  2. Browse available dApps
  3. Click "Launch" on a dApp
  4. Auto-connects (Unicorn generates auth)
  5. User lands ready to transact
  6. Send gasless transaction
  7. User needs ZERO ETH

This is how YOUR dApp gets discovered

Your Distribution Playbook

How to Get Discovered

Step 1: Integrate (10 minutes)

  • Add AutoConnect to your dApp

Step 2: Create Test Community (5 minutes)

  • Unicorn admin portal
  • Add your dApp (localhost works!)
  • Test with Live Preview

Step 3: Test Locally

Step 4: Submit to Unicorn App Center

  • Add details, logo, description
  • Submit for approval
  • You only need to convince the community to add

Step 5: Get Listed

  • Appear in established portals
  • Users discover you

Growth Timeline

Real Developer Success Story

Visual Timeline:

Week 1: Listed on app.ethdenver.com → 500 users discover you → 350 transact

Week 2: Listed on app.polygon.ac → 800 total users → 600 transact

Week 3: Word spreads, more portals add you → 2,000 users

Week 4: You have traction → More portals → VCs interested

From 'side project' to 'real traction' in weeks, not years

Create Test Community

How to Test Your Integration

Visual/Screenshots:

  1. Go to Unicorn admin portal
  2. Create free test community account
  3. Navigate to "My Community" → Add app
  4. Enter your dApp details:
    • localhost URL (works for testing!)
    • Title, description, logo
  5. Click "Live Preview"
  6. Test: Click → Auto-connect → Transact

Validate everything works before submitting

What to Track

Developer Metrics That Matter

❌ DON'T Track:

  • Wallet connections (vanity metric)

✅ DO Track:

  • Transactions completed (real usage)
  • Which portal drove most usage
  • Portal click → transaction conversion
  • CAC (gas cost per activated user)

Measure activation, not just connection

Three Real Examples

Title: Developers Who Did This

Example 1: DAO Governance Tool

  • 1 developer
  • 5 portal listings
  • 5,000 users week 1
  • 70% transaction rate

Example 2: NFT Mint Platform

  • 3 portal listings
  • Tracked which converted best
  • 10x month-over-month growth

Example 3: On-Chain Game

  • Gaming portal partnership
  • 500 players week 1
  • Network effects kicked in
  • Now self-sustaining

What Does This Cost

Nothing:

  • The community sponsors the gas if they like your dapp.
  • If YOU want to launch in an easy-to-onboard community, you pay for gas

This is a B2B2C approach! Convince a few communities that your app is worth it to them, they will distribute your dapp for you via their portal.

The Big Idea

Here's What You Need to Remember

Four Points:

  1. You don't need to build an audience → Get discovered in established portals

  2. You don't need marketing budget → Sponsor pennies of gas per user

  3. You don't need to convince individuals → Portal trust transfers to your dApp

  4. You don't need users to have ETH → Communities sponsor it, they transact freely

The Unicorn Difference

Connection vs. Discovery & Activation

Other solutions help users CONNECT (you still need to find them)

Unicorn gets you DISCOVERED where thousands already browse

Connection is the start. Portal-based discovery is how you grow.

Why This Matters

You Built the App. Now Get Users.

"When ETHDenver attendees browse app.ethdenver.com and discover YOUR dApp...

Click once...

Land gaslessly transacting...

That's not incremental improvement.

That's how unknown developers get real traction."

The Hard Truth

If You Can't Get Users, Nothing Matters

You can be the best developer. You can build elegant smart contracts. You can design the perfect UI.

But if you can't get users, none of it matters.

And you can't get users by yourself.

You need distribution.

Resources

Title: Get Started Today

Links:

  • GitHub: github.com/unicorn-eth/autoconnect
  • Docs: [docs link]
  • Integration Guide: INTEGRATION_GUIDE.md
  • Test Community: Create at Unicorn admin portal

Contact:

 

  • Twitter: https://x.com/MyUnicornAcct
  • Email: russell@myunicornaccount.com

BONUS SLIDES (For Q&A)

BONUS 1: Does This Replace My Existing Wallets?

Works Alongside Everything

Comparison:

Your Existing Setup:

  • MetaMask ✅ (still works)
  • WalletConnect ✅ (still works)
  • RainbowKit ✅ (still works)

You're Adding:

  • Unicorn connector (one more option)
  • Auto-connect component (one line)
  • Portal-based discovery (new distribution channel)

It's ADDITIVE, not replacement

What If Users Already Have Wallets?

User Has MetaMask:

  • Can connect with MetaMask
  • Works normally
  • Pays their own gas

User Comes from Portal:

  • Auto-connects via Unicorn
  • Gasless transactions
  • Frictionless experience

Same dApp, Same Code: Standard wagmi hooks work for BOTH

BONUS 3: Supported Networks

Works Across 18 Networks

Mainnets:

  • Ethereum, Base, Polygon, Arbitrum
  • Optimism, Gnosis, Celo, Avalanche
  • BNB Chain, zkSync Era, Scroll, Zora

Testnets:

  • Sepolia, Base Sepolia, Polygon Amoy
  • Arbitrum Sepolia, Optimism Sepolia

One integration, 18 networks

BONUS 4: Security

Is This Safe?

Smart Accounts:

  • ✅ Audited contracts (Thirdweb)
  • ✅ Same security as existing AA solutions
  • ✅ Battle-tested account abstraction

Integration:

  • ✅ Standard Wagmi connector
  • ✅ Works alongside MetaMask, WalletConnect
  • ✅ No custom security considerations

BONUS 5: How Long Does Approval Take?

Day 1: Submit your dApp

  • Add details, logo, description
  • Configure gas sponsorship

Day 2-3: Review process

  • Team validates integration
  • Checks security best practices

Day 3-7: Get approved

  • Listed in relevant portals admins
  • Reach out to the community to add

Week 2+: Track performance

  • Monitor which portals drive usage
  • Iterate and optimize

BONUS 6: Comparison Chart

Title: Unicorn vs. Other Solutions

Feature Standard Wallets Other Embedded Unicorn
Easy Connection ✅ ✅ ✅
Gasless Transactions ❌ Some ✅
Portal Discovery ❌ ❌ ✅
Built-in Trust ❌ ❌ ✅
Community Access ❌ ❌ ✅
Standard Wagmi ✅ Varies ✅

BONUS 7: Who Uses Unicorn Portals?

Established Communities Already Using This

Examples:

ETHDenver (app.ethdenver.com)

  • Conference attendees
  • Web3 builders
  • High-intent users

Polygon (app.polygon.ac)

  • Polygon ecosystem users
  • DeFi enthusiasts
  • Active transactors

MyLink (app.mylink.fun)

  • Social communities
  • Engaged user base
  • Regular portal browsers

Your dApp can be here

BONUS 8: FAQs

Q: Does this only work for Unicorn wallets? A: No! Works alongside MetaMask, WalletConnect, etc.

Q: Can I test locally before submitting? A: Yes! Create test community, add localhost URL, use Live Preview.

Q: What if I want to change my dApp after listing? A: Update details in admin portal anytime.

Q: Can I track which portal drives most usage? A: Yes! Add tracking parameters, monitor conversions.

Q: Is there a cost to get listed? A: Most communities have no listing fee.

BFC: So You've Got an App?Now You Need Distribution!

By Russell Castagnaro

BFC: So You've Got an App?Now You Need Distribution!

So you've got a great dApp - now you need distribution

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