Back to Main Menu

Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship

We are a dedicated institute for student entrepreneurs across campus and beyond. We aim to maximize your success by fostering your entrepreneurial mindset, promote inter-disciplinary collaboration and provide support for the creation and development of your new ventures. Jumpstart your ideas and get involved today!

Tune in for excitement!

Passion. Potential. Pitches. Don't miss any of the 2025 New Venture Challenge excitement.

Tune in Friday, April 11 at 1 p.m. for great ideas and fierce competition. Then, join the judges, mentors, spectators and teams as they see who is going home with thousands of dollars in venture financing. The awards broadcast begins at 6:30 p.m. and one team will walk away as the overall best venture. 

Start your entrepreneurial journey

Central Michigan University’s College of Business Administration is the home of the Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship and the first Department of Entrepreneurship in the state of Michigan. We are a student-centric hub where experiential, curricular, and external entrepreneurial opportunities intersect.

Our mission is to maximize student success by fostering a campus-wide entrepreneurial mindset that promotes inter-disciplinary collaboration and the creation of new ventures.

We aim to create innovative programming, boost cross-campus and ecosystem collaboration and provide a comprehensive mentoring program.

Our institute provides extracurricular opportunities and is open to all undergraduate and graduate CMU students.

Student opportunities

  • Meet experienced alumni, faculty, entrepreneurs, investors, and other business and political leaders.
  • Learn practical skills, innovative thinking, and connect with mentors and entrepreneurial resources.
  • Attend skill-building workshops and compete in pitch competitions and Hackathons.
  • Take part in special scholarship programs and travel experiences.
  • Pitch your venture at our signature New Venture Challenge event and compete for up to $20,000 in cash awards.

      Find your path

      Are you interested in becoming an entrepreneur?

      Every journey is unique. Explore the opportunities that interest you.

      Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Jordan VanHemert

      by Jason Fielder

      Dr. VanHemert is a Korean American saxophonist and composer lauded for his skill as a modern jazz improviser. His discography includes the EP, Metamorphosis, and the albums Nomad and I Am Not A Virus.

      He currently serves as Director of Jazz Studies at the Schwob School of Music. Prior to his appointment at Columbus State University, Dr. VanHemert served on the faculty of Hope College. He was also the Music Director and founder of the Holland Concert Jazz Orchestra, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to jazz advocacy, education, and performance.

      Dr. VanHemert regularly works with music organizations to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, including consulting for Hope College, PARMA Recordings, Vandoren USA, Conn Selmer, and the West Michigan Jazz Society. He also serves as a co-chair on the Columbus State University College of the Arts Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee and the North American Saxophone Alliance Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility. In recognition of his work, he was awarded the GROW Diversity and Inclusion Award at Hope College, where he served as a faculty advisor to the college’s Asian Student Union.

      He holds degrees from Central Michigan University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

      Events

      VIEW ALL EVENTS
      VIEW ALL EVENTS

       

      View our programming newsletter

      Entrepreneurship News

      Questions?

      Contact the team