Routy Media Spotlight - Vault Network - From Consumer App to Affiliate Network: The Evolution of Vault Network

Routy Media Spotlight sat down with Caleb Dykema Co-Founder of Vault Network. In this interview, Caleb shares how iGaming vertical is evolving rapidly and how it’s driven by new technology while focusing on creator-led media. Starting as a consumer-tech company with an AI NBA simulator and bet-tracking app, Vault Network later pivoted toward solving some of the biggest pain points affiliates face today, fragmented dashboards, unclear reporting, and inefficient communication with operators. That experience ultimately shaped the company’s mission to create a more streamlined, transparent affiliate ecosystem.

B - Vault Network has evolved alongside a fast-moving iGaming vertical, what were the biggest early challenges, and which milestones are you most proud of so far?

C - We started in 2020 as a consumer-tech company building AI NBA simulators and a bet-tracking app that reached 40,000+ downloads and 6,000 monthly active users organically. The biggest early challenge came when we tried to monetize that traffic through an existing sub-affiliate network. The dashboard was terrible, support was nonexistent, payments were opaque, and everything was done through messy emails. We made almost nothing despite having high-intent traffic.

That experience was the catalyst. In mid-2023, we paused the consumer app and pivoted fully into building our own affiliate network. The biggest milestone I’m proud of is going from just 5 affiliates in August 2023 to nearly 180 today, all while building every piece of our dashboard in-house. We took the exact pains we lived through and fixed them.

B - With so many affiliates and networks competing for attention, what do you believe truly differentiates successful affiliate programs today?

C - Successful programs today are the ones that remove friction for both sides — affiliates and operators.

The biggest differentiator is building a true one-stop experience. Instead of forcing affiliates to log into 30 different dashboards, chase broken links, or manually track everything in Excel, we give them one clean dashboard with near real-time data, automated offer updates, enhanced click tracking, and transparent payments.

On the operator side, they get access to a diversified, high-quality network through one agreement and one point of contact. The programs that win long-term are the ones that make the entire process dramatically easier and more transparent than doing it themselves or using legacy networks.

B - What role does data and analytics play in optimizing campaigns, and how do you help partners turn raw performance numbers into actionable insights?

C - Data is everything, but raw numbers across 30 different operator dashboards are useless if you can’t see them together.

We pull in and normalize data from every brand so affiliates see clicks, conversions, commissions, and performance all in one place — even clicks that most operators don’t share. We enhance that data with Routy and make it immediately actionable.

Partners can instantly see which creatives, which states, and which traffic sources are working best, then optimize in real time instead of waiting for weekly CSVs. The goal is to turn overwhelming data into clear, daily decisions that actually move the needle.

B - Over the past few years, what major shifts have you observed in affiliate or digital marketing, and which trends do you think are just getting started?

C - The biggest shift has been the move from traditional SEO and big media sites to creator-led and social-first traffic. We’ve seen a massive rise in streamers, TikTokers, YouTubers, and podcast hosts driving real volume.

Another major change is the explosion of prediction markets and social sportsbooks alongside traditional sports betting. These new verticals bring completely different audiences (crypto, politics, culture) that traditional affiliates aren’t reaching yet.

The trend I think is just getting started is true hybrid creator + performance deals — fixed fee plus CPA. Brands that figure out how to structure these properly with the right creators will pull way ahead.

B - Where do you see affiliate marketing and digital acquisition in iGaming heading over the next 2–3 years, and how is Vault Network preparing for that future?

C - I see affiliate marketing becoming heavily driven by ‘new media’ and performance, with a much bigger emphasis on quality and player lifetime value over sheer quantity. Operators are going to pay a premium for traffic that actually retains, rather than users just hunting for a sign-up bonus. Because of this, we'll see affiliate compensation structures evolve to directly align with those retention goals. I expect them to shift increasingly toward hybrid models like CPA + Handle Share or RevShare.

The biggest opportunity (and challenge) will be helping international affiliates navigate the still-fragmented U.S. market as more states come online and new verticals like prediction markets expand.

We’re preparing by continuing to invest heavily in our in-house tech. We’re making our dashboard smarter, compliance tools more automated, and reporting even more real-time. We’re also broadening our acquisition strategies by doubling down on media buying and emerging new media channels. By tapping into these broader traffic sources and facilitating evolved, hybrid deal structures, we can consistently deliver the high-quality, long-term value that brands will demand.