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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.

      CMU Alumnus interviewed on The Jennifer Hudson Show

      by Jason Fielder

      CMU Alumnus Sam Prater '07 was on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Monday, speaking about Los Angeles Room & Board, the California-based nonprofit safe haven he founded for college students suffering from homelessness and food insecurity.

      Since L.A. Room & Board opened in 2020, Prater has helped hundreds of students complete college. In just four years, the nonprofit has grown to feature four locations and 18 full-time staff members.

      “[We’re] just not providing a cot for people to stay on. We try to provide spaces that feel like you have dignity, that feel inspirational and aspirational,” he told Hudson on the show. “We want to set them up for success for life before they leave our spaces.”

      Prater attended CMU from 2003-2007, graduating with a bachelor's degree in organizational communication. He was very active on campus, working as a Resident Assistant, participating in the Alternative Spring Breaks Program, and serving as the Vice President of the Student Government Association, among other activities.

      After earning his degree from CMU, he went on to earn a master’s, and doctorate degree before launching L.A. Room & Board in a vacant sorority house with 15 students. Today, the organization can room 190 students.

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      Questions?

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