If you're chasing airdrops, Starknet should definitely be on your list for one of the biggest potential airdrops in 2023. Its parent company, StarkWare, has raised $273 million in funding and currently has an $8 billion valuation.
Starknet is in its Mainnet and the airdrop tasks below are relatively easy. Depending how fast you are the tasks below can be finished in just 20 minutes, so let's jump in.
What Is Starknet?
StarkNet is a Layer 2 network built by StarkWare to scale the Ethereum network using Validity Rollups (or Zk Rollups). According to its website, it enables dapps to achieve unlimited scale for transactions and computation, while leveraging the security of Ethereum.
Their product, StarkEx, has garnered strong social proof, evident from its impressive roster of widely recognized clients. The permissioned solution hosts ImmutableX, dYdX, Sorare, ApeX, and Immutable among others.
Is There A Starknet Token?
Yes, the StarkNet token ($STRK) was deployed on the Ethereum mainnet on 16th November, 2022. However, the tokens are not for sale yet. The StarkWare team has been pretty transparent when it comes to the token launch, distribution, and allocation plan. According to a medium blog post by StarkWare, the tokens will be allocated as follows:
Is The $STRK Airdrop Confirmed?
Like most airtdrops, nothing is confirmed but there are rumors circulating about Starknet's second snapshot for the upcoming $STRK token. According to Starkware's not-so-subtle hints in their medium post, developers and consumers have the chance to receive tokens if they contribute to the ecosystem in one way or another.
9 Best Tasks To Get The Starknet Airdrop
Starknet is in its mainnet so there are lots of applications you can use to potentially qualify for an airdrop. We're going to bridge funds and then interact with popular Starknet dapps like DEXs and NFT marketplaces. Nothing crazy. Here’s what I believe are the best tasks for this potential airdrop:
- Set up a MetaMask Wallet
- Set up an ArgentX Wallet
- Bridge ETH to Starknet
- Use Other Bridges
- Use the top Starknet DEXs
- Use the NFT marketplaces
- Claim a Starknet Identity and Domain
- Try zkLend
- Try Other Starknet Dapps
1. Set Up A MetaMask Wallet
For this tutorial we will need two wallets, starting with MetaMask. If you don't already have it, head over to https://metamask.io to set up your wallet. Then fund it with some Ethereum. By the way, you may also want to check out my MetaMask airdrop guide. They raised $450M, so it could be huge.
2. Set Up An ArgentX Wallet
Starknet is not compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). This means MetaMask isn't supported on most applications. For that reason we must also set up a Starknet wallet like ArgentX (who also could have a potential airdrop).
- Go to https://www.argent.xyz/argent-x/
- Set up the wallet on the same browser/device as your MetaMask
- An alternative wallet is Braavos: https://braavos.app/
3. Bridge ETH to Starknet
Time to bridge some ETH over to Starknet. The main bridge is StarkGate, so we’ll definitely want to use that.
- Go to https://starkgate.starknet.io
- Connect both your MetaMask and Starknet Wallet
- Bridge ETH to Stargate. I recommend sending at least $20-$30 worth so you have enough for gas fees later on.
- You can bridge ETH from Ethereum Mainnet, but if you want to save on gas fees you can also bridge ETH from Arbitrum or other networks
4. Use Other Bridges
This is an optional step, but you can also use these two bridges to send funds to Starknet:
- Orbiter Finance: https://www.orbiter.finance/ (this one is very fast and low cost)
- LayerSwap: https://www.layerswap.io/
You can also use them to bridge out of Starknet once you're finished your airdrop tasks. Plus, I have an Orbiter Finance airdrop guide if you want to check it out (their token is confirmed).
5. Use The Top Starknet DEXs
Now that we have funds on Starknet, it's time to use the popular dapps. Decentralized exchanges are usually the easiest way to generate on-chain activity, which is exactly what we want when chasing airdrops. According to DeFi Llama, here are the 3 largest DEXs on Starknet:
- MySwap: https://www.myswap.xyz/
- Jediswap: https://app.jediswap.xyz/
- 10kswap: https://10kswap.com/
Visit these DEXs, connect your wallet, and swap tokens on each one. You can swap any token and any amount, as many times as you want. Afterwards, you can add liquidity to the pools and immediately withdraw it. Make sure you are always connected on the Starknet Mainnet.
With the steps above, you can get at least 5-10 transactions in your wallet or more which is a great start. To maximize your airdrop rewards, come back every 30 days or so and do similar tasks.
6. Use The NFT Marketplaces
Another easy thing to do when chasing airdrops is to use the NFT marketplaces. The two main NFT marketplaces on Starknet are:
- MintSquare: https://mintsquare.io/starknet
- Aspect: https://aspect.co
Visit these sites and make sure you connect your wallet to the Starknet Mainnet. On both platforms, proceed to mint an NFT by uploading a random image and filling out the details (sometimes it doesn't work, so you'll have to try again). Afterwards, buy the cheapest NFT you can find which should be under one dollar. Lastly, you can list those NFTs for sale.
7. Claim a Starknet ID and Domain
Another easy task is to visit Starknet's native domain service to claim an ID and register a domain. The ID is free but the domain costs 0.009 ETH so only do it if you can afford it. I purchased one just in case but I'm not sure how important it will be for the airdrop.
- Go to https://www.starknet.id/ and connect your wallet
- Click on 'Identities' at the top and then click the plus icon to mint a Starknet identity NFT
- Optional: Connect a Github account and social media profiles
- Then, go to the 'Domains' section
- Search any domain name and register it.
8. Try zkLend
According to DeFi Llama, zkLend is the top lending protocol on Starknet.
- Go to https://zklend.com/
- Click 'Luanch Dapp' and connect your wallet
- Supply ETH, USDC or one of the tokens. You can withdraw it immediately after
- Then, borrow some funds. You can return it immediately after
9. Try Other Starknet Dapps
By now, we've completed a lot of tasks and you can repeat these steps every 30 days to hopefully improve your airdrop rewards. If you want to keep going and interact with more projects, you can find tons of Starknet Dapps by going to https://www.starknet-ecosystem.com/. Just remember to stay safe and be careful when using lesser known projects.
Final Thoughts
The airdrop community is closely watching Starknet, which could be one of the big potential of airdrops of 2023. As a user, the good news is that there are only ~500 daily active users in the Starknet ecosystem as of August 2023. So, increased activity exponentially increases your chances of receiving $STRK tokens.
Thanks for reading. Make sure to check out the airdrop tools and other airdrop guides below!
