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Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship
We empower entrepreneurial thinkers—whether you’re launching a venture, building a family business, creating social impact, or driving innovation inside an organization. Turn ideas into action.
Start your entrepreneurial journey
At Central Michigan University, the Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship is more than a program—it’s where students from every major turn ideas into real impact. As Michigan’s first Department of Entrepreneurship, we’re a hub for hands-on learning, innovation, and mentorship.
Here, you’ll:
- Build an entrepreneurial mindset that sets you apart in any career path—launching ventures, shaping social missions, advancing family businesses, or driving innovation inside established companies.
- Collaborate across disciplines to create projects that matter.
- Learn from alumni, faculty, and industry leaders who’ve built their own paths.
- Gain real-world experience through workshops, hackathons, and pitch competitions.
- Compete in the New Venture Challenge, where students win up to $10,000 in cash and grants to grow their ideas.
Whether you want to start something new or transform what already exists, the Institute is your launchpad.
Take the next step!
When you’re ready to get started, stop by Grawn 164 to join the team or visit the Idea Den in Grawn 166—your space to brainstorm, build, and take the next step.
Questions?
On January 20, a Central Michigan University alumnus will be standing on the sidelines of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, ready to assist an important group of players – the members of the marching band.
CMU alumnus Matt Brancaleone, PhD, PT, DPT, AT, works as the Medical Coordinator for the OSU Marching Band. His duties include providing athletic training services to band members. The job is a percentage of his clinical work as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Ohio State.
“We are extremely excited!” Brancaleone says. “There is a buzz in the air that we were all hoping for at the beginning of the year.”
CMU impact
Brancaleone is in his 10th season as the OSU band’s Medical Coordinator. He’s worked at the university for nearly 11 years, gaining employment shortly after graduating from CMU’s Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions with a Doctorate in physical therapy in 2014. It’s Brancaleone’s second degree from CMU. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in athletic training in 2010.
“Though I believe the education and clinical opportunities laid the foundation to get me where I am today,” Brancaleone says, “I think the biggest impact that CMU had on me was the relationships with mentors I developed during my time there and beyond.”
Brancaleone cites this trio of professors as his special mentors: Dr. Rene Shingles, Dr. Deborah Silkwood-Sherer, and Dr. John Andraka.
“These three, whether they know it or not, have had such an impact on my career,” Brancaleone says. “Without these three individuals, I don't believe my time at CMU, transition to Ohio State, and subsequent clinical and academic career would have been as fruitful.”