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.

2025 NVC Competition Live Stream

2025 NVC Awards Live Stream

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.

A student standing with a faculty member holding big winning checks from the New Venture Challenge 2024.

Start up

Build up your venture idea.

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A student smiling and standing in front of his venture display at the 2024 New Venture Challenge.

Family business

Explore the Alternative Entrepreneurial Pathways category at NVC.

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A close-up of the Prusa i3 MK3 printer in the entrepreneurship makerspace, the IDEA Den in Grawn Hall 166.

Product and prototype design

Create and patent your ideas.

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Innovation

Explore your ideas and build your skills.

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Athletic Training alumni and faculty make an impact

by Kathleen Hodgkins

Congratulations to our current Athletic Training faculty Dr. Blaine Long and Dr. Rene Revis-Shingles and 2016 Athletic Training alum Kayla Philips. Dr. Long was the recipient of the Athletic Trainer Service Award at the recent Michigan Athletic Trainers’ Society (MATS) Annual Meeting. Dr. Shingles was the inaugural recipient of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) award. In light of the DEI award, the MATS executive award voted unanimously to name the DEI award in honor of Dr. Shingles where the award is now referred to as the “Rene Revis-Shingles Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion award”. Kayla was the Outstanding Young Professional awardee. Each have made significant contributions in their respective areas and were very deserving of these awards.

Dr. Long serves as an item writer for the Athletic Training Board of Certification (BOC) examination where he regularly helps develop and review questions for the Athletic Trainer medical examination. Dr. Long also serves as accreditation site reviewer for the Commission of Accreditation for Athletic Training Education (CAATE) where he regularly travels to assess other athletic training programs. He has also recently co-authored a widely used orthopedic assessment textbook for Athletic Training students.

Dr. Shingles currently serves as the President for the Board of Certification, Board of Directors. She co-authored the first cultural competence textbook which is used widely by health care providers. Dr. Shingles also regularly travels domestically and internationally providing lectures on cultural competence. She is also working on two new textbooks, Patient-Centered Care in Sports Medicine and a book on DEI in health care.

Kayla is an athletic trainer for Romeo High School. Kayla represents everything someone would ask for as the Athletic Trainer. She is very much loved by her student athletes, the coaching staff, and those individuals she interacts with. Folks at Romeo know she is always there for them. Those at Romeo are proud to be able to work with Kayla and are truly proud of what she represents.