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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.

      The CMU DECA chapter is making a resurgence on campus after almost nearing depletion caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

      The chapter was not able to meet, host fundraisers, obtain sponsorships and recruit new members to join for the past two years due to restrictions caused by the pandemic. During this time the remaining members on the executive board were able to maintain connections with each other and continue supporting each other.  

      After much recruiting in the fall, CMU’s DECA Chapter is back up and running thanks to the help of Ashley Brown, a first year majoring in biochemistry. Ashley was able to work along with faculty advisors Michele Bartosek and John Gustincic to recruit new members from colleges beyond the College of Business Administration and rebuild the infrastructure of the CMU chapter. 

      This semester the chapter is back in full force with weekly meetings and a fully functioning executive board. The students participating in DECA strive to achieve the same goals to develop as individuals while becoming emerging professionals and improve their soft skills.   

      The team recently attended the DECA Michigan Career Development Conference in Kalamazoo where 8 out of the 12 CMU students were finalists. Those who qualified as finalist status are eligible to participate in the DECA International Career Development Conference this coming April 15-18, 2023, in Orlando, Florida.  

      The CMU students who qualified for ICDC are Alexis Joslin, Isabella Derda, Ashley Brown, Hunter Waterstrat, Keifer Klee, Emma Schultz, Morgan Shropshire and Mela Hammond.  

      Source: Megan Mearnic

      Media Contact: Jessica Meyers

      Events

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      Questions?

      Contact the team