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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.

      Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology Ph.D. student brings CMU to Cambridge

      by Robert Wang

      Nicholas Banahene, a Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology Ph.D. student at Central Michigan University, will finish out the year with a fully-funded doctoral internship with Merck & Co. Inc.

      Working in Ben Swarts’ chemistry and biochemistry lab, Banahene has been developing chemical tools used to investigate the cell envelope of bacteria, including the pathogen that causes tuberculosis.

      It’s no surprise that Banahene was chosen for this prestigious opportunity. Among his other accomplishments at CMU, Banahene has contributed to seven peer-reviewed publications, presented at multiple national and international conferences, mentored undergraduate classes, and is a member of the American Chemical Society and the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers.

      Banahene said the BCMB program at CMU allowed him to take biochemistry and microbiology course work to complement his already strong chemistry background. His work in Swarts’ lab enabled him to acquire a range of skills and gave him opportunities to present his research.

      Upon completion of his internship, Banahene will return to the BCMB program at CMU to complete his Ph.D. program.

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      Questions?

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