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.

Learn more

Innovation

Explore your ideas and build your skills.

Learn more

CMU launches public safety app

by Sanjna Jassi

Updates to Central Michigan University’s Central Alert emergency system include a campus safety app for students and employees.

Updates to Central Michigan University's Central Alert emergency system include a campus safety app for students and employees.

The app, called Rave Guardian, enables users to:

Instantly text CMU Police to report an incident or request help, with a photo or location as needed.
Initiate text chats with CMU Police or the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity.
Dial 911 or the CMU Police nonemergency number with the touch of a button.
Receive and manage Central Alerts based on location.
Access maps, CMU social media accounts and more through a content portal.
Find assistance and resources with a directory of important CMU contacts.

It also includes a safety timer feature that can virtually escort users as they move around campus. Users can choose to have friends and family monitor their travel and ensure they reach their destinations safely.

The app, from Rave Mobile Safety, is available through the App Store for Apple devices or Google Play for Android. Anyone with a CMU global ID can download a version customized for CMU.

Download Rave Guardian

CMU Police Lt. Mike Sienkiewicz said the police department researched a safety app in response to input from students and a recommendation from CMU's Title IX Advisory Board.

"Safety of our campus community is our No. 1 priority, and it is critical that we continue to utilize technology in our efforts," Sienkiewicz said. "Our hope is that our students and employees utilize this app to establish a two-way connection with campus safety resources."

Sienkiewicz said that besides availability of the app, users will not notice much difference with this latest update of the Central Alert system. Here's more about the system:

Central Alert calls will still come from 989-774-1500. Texts will come from a different shortcode than previous alerts.
Existing contact information is moving to the new system, requiring no action from individuals, including new CMU students and employees. Users can update contact information under the "My Account" tab at cmich.edu/centralalert.
Automated text and email weather alerts for campus will be sent for tornado warnings and flash flood warnings. Users can set alert preferences for weather watches and advisories at cmich.edu/centralalert.
Vendors, contractors and guests can opt in to Central Alert for short- or long-term campus visits.