
Start up
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.
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.
Are you interested in becoming an entrepreneur?
Every journey is unique. Explore the opportunities that interest you.
Central Michigan University has a message for the world, distilled from extensive conversations about the CMU experience: "We do."
Central's new brand stems from more than a year of work, beginning with extensive market research. The quantitative and qualitative research was conducted over several months by Simpson Scarborough, a higher education research, marketing and branding agency. Input was gathered from stakeholder groups including alumni, faculty, staff, parents, students and the public.
The brand promise — "You will learn to lead in life" — built through these research results encompasses four pillars: We focus on real-world results, we set the leadership standard, we lift each other up, and we exemplify a Fired-Up attitude.
"You'll see those pillars stated or implied throughout our internal and external communications," said John Veilleux, CMU vice president for University Communications and chief marketing officer, "because the more consistent and focused we are when telling our story, the better our audiences will understand us."
CMU's brand campaign kicks off this month with a series of print, billboard, radio and digital advertising to appear across the state throughout the next year.
"It is intended to increase recognition and awareness of our propensity for action and the impact that has on our students' futures and the future of our region, state, country and world," said Abby Dean, CMU director of integrated marketing.
As part of the brand, a new visual language adds fonts, graphics and accent colors to CMU's familiar maroon and gold palette. The design also combines the familiar Action C with the Central Michigan University name to create a new visual identity for CMU. The new look is already being incorporated into the university's website and other materials.
"Last fall, we conducted internal and external research to inform this new brand," Dean said. "It captures our earnest dedication to our students' growth and success, the outstanding academic work of our students and faculty, the hard-won successes of our alumni and our impact as a community of doers."
Dean said the new brand will help distinguish CMU among thousands of colleges and universities across the country.
Explore special opportunities to learn new skills and travel the world.
Present your venture and win BIG at the New Venture Challenge.
Boost your entrepreneurial skills through our workshops, mentor meetups and pitch competitions.
Learn about the entrepreneurship makerspace on campus in Grawn Hall.
Present a 2-minute pitch at the Make-A-Pitch Competition and you could win prizes and bragging rights!
Connect with mentors and faculty who are here to support the next generation of CMU entrepreneurs.
Are you a CMU alum looking to support CMU student entrepreneurs? Learn how you can support or donate to the Entrepreneurship Institute.