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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 launches brand celebrating learning, leadership

      by Sanjna Jassi
      Central Michigan University’s new “We do” brand stems from more than a year of work to identify pillars of the CMU experience.

      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.

      wrap-BrandAs 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.

      Questions?