Start up
Build up your venture idea.
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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 Health doctor honored
by
Sanjna Jassi
CMU Health doctor awarded a Presidential Citation by the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
Central Michigan University Health's Dr. Chet Morrison has been awarded a Presidential Citation by the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
The SCCM promotes excellence in teaching and research with the goal of improved care of critically ill and injured patients. Awards are given annually to critical care practitioners and other health care providers who demonstrate dedication and innovation to the field of critical care.
“This honor is a reflection of Dr. Morrison’s careerlong commitment to the foremost international critical care organization and all of his contributions, accomplishments and expertise in this discipline,” said Dr. Stephanie Duggan, regional president of Ascension Michigan’s northern ministries.
In 2019, Morrison joined CMU Health’s Washington Avenue surgery clinic and Ascension St. Mary’s Hospital Trauma Center in Saginaw, Michigan, as a trauma and critical care surgeon. He also serves as an associate professor of surgery for CMU College of Medicine.
"We are proud to have Dr. Morrison represent CMU to the region,” said Dr. Samuel Shaheen, executive director of CMU Medical Education Partners. “Citations of this capacity are reserved for passionate medical professionals who have made extraordinary contributions to their fields. This is a great achievement.”
Morrison attended medical school at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Science in Washington, D.C., and completed residencies in general surgery at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, and Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado.
He furthered his specialty training with a trauma and critical care fellowship at the University of Maryland’s R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
In addition, he served in the United States Army for 14 years before resigning his commission in 2005. His experience in the Army, along with several positions as a trauma and critical care surgeon, has given Morrison a foundation and niche in the critical care field.
He will be presenting on “Critical Care in Austere Settings” at this year’s national SCCM Critical Care Congress in Orlando, Florida.
Signature Programs
Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship
Explore special opportunities to learn new skills and travel the world.
Compete & Win
New Venture Challenge 2025
Present your venture and win BIG at the New Venture Challenge.
Build your skills
Workshops and events
Boost your entrepreneurial skills through our workshops, mentor meetups and pitch competitions.
Develop your ideas
IDEA Den
Learn about the entrepreneurship makerspace on campus in Grawn Hall.
Ready, Set, Pitch!
Make-A-Pitch 2024
Present a 2-minute pitch at the Make-A-Pitch Competition and you could win prizes and bragging rights!
Meet Mentors
Mentorship and support
Connect with mentors and faculty who are here to support the next generation of CMU entrepreneurs.
Support students
Make an impact
Are you a CMU alum looking to support CMU student entrepreneurs? Learn how you can support or donate to the Entrepreneurship Institute.
View our programming newsletter
Alumni give back to students through mentorship, real-world experiences
The Wakeling Gendron Entrepreneurial Scholars program wrapped its first cohort this academic year.
Students compete to win cash prizes at the New Venture Challenge
Pitched 40 ventures at NMV Challenge, Friday, April 19, CMU. Judges awarded $100,000 in cash prizes.
Wakeling Gendron Scholars make a life-changing trip to Texas
Wakeling and Gendron Scholars attended SXSW in Texas, meeting industry leaders and gaining entrepreneurial insights.
Business barriers lead CMU students to a new venture
Justin Ashman and Philip Mundt won Central Michigan University's New Venture Competition with their 3-D printing operation, Form Further.
