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.

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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.

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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 expands needs-based scholarship eligibility

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Central Michigan University is expanding eligibility for a program that makes a high-quality college education more accessible for Michigan students.

Starting in the fall 2024 semester, freshman and transfer students whose families have an adjusted gross income of less than $65,000 and have combined assets of less than $65,000 might qualify for the CMU Tuition Advantage.

“Through the CMU Tuition Advantage, we are breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for students to pursue their first bachelor's degree,” said Sarah Kasabian-Larson, CMU’s director of scholarships and financial aid. “CMU's Tuition Advantage demonstrates our commitment to ensure increased accessibility along with affordability for our eligible incoming Michigan students.”

The program covers 30 credit hours – 15 in the fall semester and 15 in the spring semester – and the student service fee through a combination of federal, state and institutional aid.

Applying for the program is as simple as filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid – better known as the FAFSA – form, she said. University officials will use the information from the completed FAFSA to automatically determine whether a student qualifies.

“The first step in determining eligibility for our incoming Michigan students is just filing the FAFSA,” she said “The FAFSA has become simplified, and it is easier than ever to complete. The FAFSA will help students maximize their eligibility for all forms of financial aid.”

In addition to meeting the income and assets criteria, students must also qualify for Pell Grants and be a newly admitted degree-seeking student enrolled full-time on the main campus. Both the student and parents must reside in Michigan.