Start up
Build up your venture idea.
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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.
Clarke Historical Library Speaker Series - FALL 2022
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All talks will be held in person at 7 p.m. in the Sarah and Daniel Opperman Auditorium, located in Charles V. Park Library.
Thurs., Sept. 15
Robert C. Knapp, CMU ’68, author of Community of Learning: History and Memories. The Laboratory School, Central Michigan University, 1895-1970 (2021), will speak about the history and memories of Central's laboratory junior high and elementary schools.
Tues., Sept. 27
The David & Eunice Sutherland Burgess Speaker:
Carole Boston Weatherford, author, poet, and professor will speak about her most recent history book for children, Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, winner of the 2022 Coretta Scott King Award for author (Ms. Weatherford) and illustrator (Floyd Cooper). She also will share her insights into writing about historical people and events, shining a light on their stories for young readers. The Burgess Speaker series brings authors, storytellers, and scholars to campus to talk about the enduring importance of storytelling.
Wed., Oct. 5
Susan J. Bandes, Professor, Museum Studies, Art History & Visual Culture, Michigan State University, will speak about mid-Michigan’s legacy of modernist architecture. A new edition of her book, Mid-Michigan Modern: From Frank Lloyd Wright to Googie, was released in 2021.
Thurs., Oct. 13
Barbara J. Barton, biologist, and writer, will speak about the rich tradition of wild rice in Michigan and its importance to the Anishinaabek people who live here. Her book, Manoomin: The Story of Wild Rice in Michigan (2018), has won numerous awards, including the 2019 Michigan Notable Book Award.
A reception will follow each presentation in the Clarke Historical Library.
Learn more about the speakers and their presentations at clarke.cmich.edu/SpeakerSeries
These events are free and open to the public. Individuals in need of an accommodation should contact the Clarke via email or by phone at 989-774-3864.
Signature Programs
Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship
Explore special opportunities to learn new skills and travel the world.
Compete & Win
New Venture Challenge 2025
Present your venture and win BIG at the New Venture Challenge.
Build your skills
Workshops and events
Boost your entrepreneurial skills through our workshops, mentor meetups and pitch competitions.
Develop your ideas
IDEA Den
Learn about the entrepreneurship makerspace on campus in Grawn Hall.
Ready, Set, Pitch!
Make-A-Pitch 2024
Present a 2-minute pitch at the Make-A-Pitch Competition and you could win prizes and bragging rights!
Meet Mentors
Mentorship and support
Connect with mentors and faculty who are here to support the next generation of CMU entrepreneurs.
Support students
Make an impact
Are you a CMU alum looking to support CMU student entrepreneurs? Learn how you can support or donate to the Entrepreneurship Institute.
View our programming newsletter
Alumni give back to students through mentorship, real-world experiences
The Wakeling Gendron Entrepreneurial Scholars program wrapped its first cohort this academic year.
Students compete to win cash prizes at the New Venture Challenge
Pitched 40 ventures at NMV Challenge, Friday, April 19, CMU. Judges awarded $100,000 in cash prizes.
Wakeling Gendron Scholars make a life-changing trip to Texas
Wakeling and Gendron Scholars attended SXSW in Texas, meeting industry leaders and gaining entrepreneurial insights.
Business barriers lead CMU students to a new venture
Justin Ashman and Philip Mundt won Central Michigan University's New Venture Competition with their 3-D printing operation, Form Further.
