Aspiring entrepreneurs have the chance to make their dreams a reality after the University of East London (UEL) gave them the funds to get their business ideas off the ground.

UEL gave £2,000 to 15 women who beat more than 110 rivals to win the funding through the university’s Make It Real project, which aims to fund ideas from women in boroughs including Waltham Forest with help from the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Some of the winning ideas include a dating app for lesbians in London, a beauty advice website and an Afro-Caribbean themed family board game.

Linsey Cole, Head of Business Partnerships at UEL, said: “We are absolutely delighted by the response to this project, and the sheer quality of the applications that were submitted. There were some really slick business pitches put forward to the judging panel.

“As a university, we have serious ambitions to become Europe’s leading institution for female entrepreneurship by 2020, and this is yet another fantastic example of how we are helping women in east London to follow their ambitions by taking the bold step of branching out into the world of business.”

The project will continue to support the woman in addition to giving them the funding, through expert mentoring and providing office space for them to work.