DTC platform Stash names ex-Homa president Henry Lowenfels as CEO

Direct-to-consumer platform Stash has named former Homa president and chief business officer Henry Lowenfels as its CEO, PocketGamer.biz can reveal.

Stash was launched in 2024 by Twitch co-founder Justin Kan, former Zynga GM Robin Chan, and ex-Googler Dan Borstelmann.

It’s one of a wave of new companies to emerge over the past couple of years aiming to support developers with web shops and their DTC strategies as the app stores open up around the world.

New chief exec Lowenfels has a wealth of experience in games, having previously worked at Scopely for nearly eight years, including in the role of SVP of business development. At Homa, he also led the publisher's DTC efforts.

As part of its growth plans, the Stash has recruited a number of other senior hires too.

This includes recruiting former Scopely president of games Spencer Tucker as chief product officer, OneSignal director of product marketing Courtney Touchstone as head of marketing, and ex-AppLovin head of business development Valerie Alfimova as head of go-to-market.

Despite appointing a CEO and more senior talent, the company’s founders will remain with the firm.

“Massive” opportunity

Speaking to PocketGamer.biz, Lowenfels said he was attracted by the chance to help grow Stash’s business further and support publishers in taking on an “absolutely massive” opportunity with direct-to-consumer.

“It's not that there's an intentional move in this moment to shake up leadership or do something very different,” he said. “It's really opportunistic, it's really understanding that this is a massive opportunity in this moment and to bring incredible talent with relevant experience together to attack that opportunity.”

Lowenfels said Stash’s unique approach is being a product-focused business, while the new hires bring a wealth of experience to the company from the DTC space and the publishing side of the industry.

“This is a business that is for game makers by game makers,” he stated. “I think we have unique credibility in that way. A lot of our competition comes out of different parts of the industry - ad tech, B2B SaaS - and there's a more transactional mindset. We really try to think about this as a partnership.”

In-app payments

Earlier this year, Stash launched StashPay as it looks to capitalise on legal and regulatory rulings, such as those in the US, that has opened up the App Store to alternative payment methods. The company claims this in-app checkout has helped boost web shop revenue.

Lowenfels said new developments like this help expose users to new ways of paying. Tied with a loyalty program, players can then make their way to a web shop to see other potential benefits and deals.

As the DTC space evolves, Lowenfels said he believes direct-to-consumer is “the future of the business”.

“It removes any layers between the publisher and the player”, he said, adding: “At Homa we had been thinking that it was going to be more for games that had whale-like behaviour than some of the games that are currently live in Homa’s portfolio. 

“But when we started to see some of the changes in legislation, some of the new products that were being offered, Stash creating a really good example of that, we realised that even for a casual game like All in Hole or other casual experiences, it's incredibly relevant.

“Effectively you're leaving margin on the table by not experimenting with it and the key is to do it in a product-focused way where you can really create the very best user experience.”

Democratising DTC

Looking to the future, Lowenfels said the industry is steamrolling toward a democratised direct-to-player ecosystem - a term sometimes coined in the tech space, notably in Unity’s rise in the game engine sector. Stash wants to bring DTC to all studios.

“We really believe that as we continue to build out our suite of product offerings, as we continue to work deeply with publishers, we can create not just a web shop experience or an in-app payment solution, but an end-to-end solution," he said. "From install and distribution all the way through to deep engagement and monetisation where direct-to-consumer will benefit the publisher. 

“But also really the consumer, because it will personalise the experience, it will make it better for them and it will create more value for everyone.”