Weekly Wrap Up: From Funnels to Flywheels, Web2 vs Web3 Growth Strategies

When I first started digging into the Ethereum ecosystem, one of the biggest mental shifts I had to make wasn’t just technical. It was strategic. In coaching, we’re always looking for what makes a team click, how they find their rhythm. And in business, that rhythm is growth. But Web3 doesn’t grow the same way Web2 does. Not even close.

Here’s what I’m seeing as the core differences between Web2 and Web3 growth strategies, especially in the EVM space. If you’re transitioning into this world, these are the new fundamentals.

1. Web2 Is About Acquisition. Web3 Is About Activation.

In Web2, growth means: get users. Run paid ads, optimize your funnel, convert traffic.

In Web3, growth starts after the user shows up. The goal isn’t just usage, it’s participation. Communities grow because users become owners, contributors, and evangelists.

Think of an airdrop. You’re not just rewarding people, you’re inviting them into the team huddle.

2. Web2 Products Are Closed. Web3 Protocols Are Composable.

Web2 growth is built in silos. Companies protect their code, data, and APIs. The moat is ownership.

Web3 flips that. Growth comes from being open. If someone builds on top of your smart contracts, it’s a win. Every new integration extends your reach without marketing spend.

It’s the difference between building a wall and opening the barn doors.

3. Web2 Buys Growth. Web3 Incentivizes It.

Web2 startups raise VC money, then spend it to acquire users, ads, partnerships, influencer campaigns.

Web3 protocols bootstrap growth with tokens. Whether it’s liquidity mining, contributor grants, or staking rewards, you’re aligning incentives from day one.

But that’s a double-edged sword. Done right, it creates loyalty. Done wrong, you just attract mercenaries looking for a quick score.

4. Web2 Teams Drive Growth. Web3 Communities Do.

Web2 growth is about the people you hire, market3. Web2 Buys Growth.

Web3 Incentivizes It. developers, designers, ops.

Web3 growth comes from the people you empower. Translators, meme-makers, indie devs, DAO contributors. The crowd becomes your bench.

You don’t need a massive team if your protocol is designed to let others run the plays.

5. Web2 Optimizes for DAUs. Web3 Optimizes for Participation.

In Web2, metrics are all about the funnel. Daily active users, LTV, conversion rates.

Web3 is about how deep the user engages. How much is staked, how many proposals they’ve voted on, how much ETH flows through your contracts.

It’s less about how many people show up. It’s about who’s willing to lace 'em up and skate.

6. Web2 Rolls Out City by City. Web3 Goes Global Day One.

In Web2, you might start local. Launch a product in one city, then scale up.

Web3? You drop a smart contract, and anyone in the world can use it. Most growth happens in Discord, Telegram, and Twitter. Localization is done by the community.

It’s like launching a team and instantly having fans in 30 countries.

7. Web2 Grows Through Data. Web3 Grows Through Trust.

Web2 is about collecting user data and optimizing the experience behind closed doors.

Web3 is open by default. Source code is public. Wallets are secure. Growth comes from transparency, not clever targeting.

If you break trust in Web3, the community notices. Fast.

Wrapping It Up (With a Hockey Metaphor, Of Course)

Web2 plays like a structured powerplay: top-down, choreographed, focused on precision.

Web3 plays like pond hockey. Open ice, everyone improvising, and magic happens when the team vibes together. There's no coach yelling plays from the bench. Just players reading the ice, trusting each other, and moving fast.

In both worlds, the goal is the same: get the puck in the net. But in Web3, the crowd gets to skate too.