W Tenth Co, an East Hollywood-based tech startup that has launched an app connecting consumers with home-based businesses owned by women, announced March 2 that it has secured $1.5 million in seed funding.

Lyn Johnson and Sara Sparhawk co-founded the digital marketplace in 2018 to help business owners promote their products.

Better Ventures, Stand Together Ventures Lab, Kapital Partners, The Community Fund, Gaingels, Hollywood-based Backstage Capital and Santa Monica-based Wedbush Ventures contributed to the funding round.

“West Tenth provides a platform and community for women entrepreneurs to build their own businesses at a time when women have left the workforce in record numbers,” Better Ventures Principal Lyndsey Boucherle said. “We are excited to support their mission to enable these women to turn their skills and talents into successful home-based businesses.

Industries supported by the West Tenth app include bakeries, photographers and baby sleep consultants. The West Tenth website lists membership rates of $40 for one month, $100 for a quarterly membership and $350 for an annual membership.

Johnson, who serves as the company's chief executive, said West Tenth was designed to buoy women who are transitioning to remote work.

“Women often struggle to return to work after they’ve been away for family reasons and this last year has made that problem even more pressing,” she said. “But no one seems to recognize the incredible skill sets women develop inside the home. Our mission at West Tenth is to help women monetize domestic talents by creating a platform that connects them with the people in their community who could benefit from their skills.”