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.

Learn more

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.

Learn more

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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CMU efforts win international recognition

by Sanjna Jassi

CMU’s University Communications and Advancement offices have won international recognition in the CASE Circle of Excellence Awards.

Central Michigan University's offices of University Communications and Advancement each have won international recognition for their outstanding work in 2019.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education's 2020 awards honored University Communications with its silver international Circle of Excellence Award for its multimedia/story package titled " CMU is Deep into Great Lakes Research," which was published in September.

Cut-Saginaw-Bay-Pinconning-as — Kayakers paddle from Saginaw Bay up the Pinconning River, where CMU researchers were working.

Advancement won CASE's 2020 Educational Fundraising Award in the category of Overall Improvement for Public Research/Doctoral Institutions with endowments of less than $215 million. It is the first time CMU has received this award.

According to judges of the Great Lakes package, what seemed like a standard research story on the surface turned into a surprising interactive and engaging experience that takes users through CMU's journey to understanding and protecting the Great Lakes. They also said that the use of beautifully produced videos, movement on the map, and quickly consumable copy left readers informed, impressed and excited to continue following the story.

"I am excited that our team has been recognized for their work," said John Veilleux, chief marketing officer and vice president of University Communications. "We have a talented team of professionals second to none. They love to share stories about the talented faculty and students we have at Central Michigan University. It's easy to tell great stories when you have incredibly compelling stories to tell, and we are honored to share them."

The fundraising awards recognize exemplary development programs based on a blind review of data submitted to a CASE survey.

The years measured for the award were the last three of CMU's Fire Up for Excellence Campaign. Heidi Tracy, vice president of Advancement, said the campaign, which ended June 30, 2019, raised more than $115 million from 68,861 donors.

Cut-Fire-up

Students discuss their entry in the Collegiate Design Series Baja SAE with Advancement board member John Kulhavi at the kickoff of the Fire Up for Excellence campaign.

"CMU is known as a place that develops leaders," she said. "The work accomplished by the alumni, staff and donors during this campaign demonstrates just how strong those qualities are in every member of our community."

Overall, CASE received 2,752 entries from 587 higher education institutions, independent schools and nonprofits in 28 countries and selected more than 400 entries for recognition.