Publication date: 24 Jun 2025
Today, in our section of short interviews with affiliate marketing stars on iGaming Heroes at 3S.INFO, we have Mukul Kaushik, Chief Revenue Officer at Affnook. Where do ideas for new projects come from? How do you choose “a different path”? What’s the difference between movement and progress? And most importantly—who is Zorro? Find the answers now!
– What pulled you into iGaming — and why bet everything on building a tracking platform?
A few years ago, we were at iGB Live, pitching a whole other platform, when I was exposed to iGaming for the first time. It was apparent there that affiliate marketing operated with a certain nuance in this industry, and tracking tech was falling behind. The product we were originally there to promote was not built for iGaming, and forcing it as a solution didn’t feel right. So we went back with insights on the needs and challenges operators were facing, and examined the problem together, with fresh eyes. That’s when the idea of Affnook by Trackier came into being, with the singular goal of solving the most pressing problems in iGaming affiliate marketing.
– What’s the best damn piece of advice you’ve ever received — work or life, doesn’t matter?
I have always been a big believer of ‘never confusing motion with progress’. On a day-to-day basis a lot goes on — team meetings, stakeholder discussions, tasks, and KRAs. But that doesn’t mean much, unless a focused approach is adopted. Moving the needle takes concerted effort, both at work and in life. You have to show up each day with resolve and purpose and make sure what you set out to achieve gets done.
– Ever had a client totally ignore the manual, do their own thing with Affnook — and somehow nail it?
Absolutely. One of our clients from Malta was able to get started on Affnook and manage complete multi-brand campaigning by themselves. Of course, the odd question or two does pop up, but this was a wholly independent venture. Their customer support manager was a bit wary at first, but metrics on their account were indicating positive outcomes. Over many more interactions with them, we’ve figured out improvements for our onboarding and support plan. That’s an advantage which only occurs with edge cases.
– What separates a “meh, it works” tracker from something affiliates actually love and rely on?
The first thing would be speed. When data doesn’t show up eventually, but instead becomes visible in real-time, all stakeholders involved in the affiliate campaign have a chance to react instantly. The second is support. All our products come with 24/7 customer support because growth and brand building never really stop. Finally, the third differentiator, in my opinion, would be specificity. Whether it is intent and actions, or product and use case, the alignment should be impeccable. That’s what truly takes it from ‘meh’ to ‘amazing’.
– Who’s more fun to grow — big affiliate networks or lone wolves? And who would you pick every time?
Bigger organizations come with scale and structure. Often that is what is needed. But lone wolves push boundaries and are scrappy by nature. They have to be to succeed. That is a quality we relate to a lot internally, as a young startup in a major industry. The latter is also more likely to be a lot more active, be blunt with feedback, and usually seek out more ‘out there’ solutions, which in turn keeps us from developing blinders.
– Which wild client request actually made you stop and say: “Okay, we need to build this”?
“We’re running affiliate campaigns that drive installs to our app — can your platform attribute revenue from in-app events back to the affiliate who sent the user?”
That was the turning point.
In the iGaming space, this challenge isn’t new — but it’s critical. A user clicks on an affiliate link, installs the app, and deposits a few days later. But without full-funnel tracking, that affiliate goes unrewarded — and operators lose visibility over what’s actually driving revenue.
Now, technically, this can be solved.
Other companies do it too, but they need two vendors and two platforms:
- оne for affiliate tracking;
- оne for mobile attribution;
Which means two separate integrations, dashboards, and support teams — often resulting in delayed insights, conflicting data, and wasted time.
We took a different route.
As a group, we built both Affnook for affiliate tracking and Apptrove for mobile attribution — and tightly integrated them into one ecosystem.
With the Apptrove SDK integrated into the app, we’re able to track the full journey:
- from the affiliate click;
- to the app store landing;
- through the install and registration;
- all the way to real-money in-app events like FTDs, deposits, and bets.
And the best part? It all shows up in one unified dashboard.
That means affiliate managers, app marketers, and compliance teams all work from the same live data — no gaps, no miscommunication, no manual reconciliations.
One dashboard. One contract. One support team. No chasing two vendors to understand your campaign performance.
In a market where speed, trust, and transparency matter, closing the loop between affiliate traffic and in-app revenue isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s a competitive advantage.
Because attribution isn’t just about the first click.
It’s about who actually brought the value in.
– Alright, let’s get to it — what’s the story behind the fox on the Trackier site?
Looks like you’ve spotted Zorro, the main character among our mascots and our spirit animal. He’s sharp, forward-thinking, and always a step ahead — a lot like the people we work with. We wanted a symbol that reflects how we operate: quick, strategic, and never static. He’s a reflection of how we choose to build and scale.
Want to become the next iGaming Heroes star? Hurry up and DM us —we’re already waiting for your answers!
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