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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Celebrating homecoming: Art and design students animate pizzas

by Kathleen Hodgkins

Central Michigan University students from the department of art and design came together on Friday, October 11, at the Allen Foundation Culinary Nutrition Center to celebrate a unique fusion of art, food and animation as part of the university’s 100th Homecoming Anniversary. The event, a creative nod to CMU's milestone, saw students crafting "animated pizzas" — artfully designed pizzas brought to life through motion graphics.

The event highlighted the collaborative spirit and innovative approaches of CMU’s talented students, blending food art with digital media. As part of the homecoming festivities, the animated pizzas represent both creativity and tradition, paying homage to the university's rich history while showcasing cutting-edge design techniques.

Central Michigan University’s homecoming is a time-honored tradition, bringing alumni, students and faculty together for a weekend of festivities, including parades, football and campus activities. This year marks the university's 100th homecoming, a testament to its long-standing legacy of excellence in education, innovation and community engagement.

The newly renovated Allen Foundation Culinary Nutrition Center in Wightman Hall boasts 12 workstations equipped with commercial-style ovens and modern food service equipment. It's a state-of-the-art facility that enhances the learning experience for students in the nutrition and dietetics program. The courses offered here include NDS 160 Introduction to Food and Culinary Techniques, NDS 361 Food Science, and a new course offered every fall, NDS 291 Introduction to Wine.

For information about the Allen Foundation Culinary Nutrition Center, please get in touch with the Director, Dr. Jeff Fisher, at fishe2jj@cmich.edu. To learn more about the nutrition and dietetics program and course offerings, please get in touch with Program Director Dr. Najat Yehia at yahia1n@cmich.edu.