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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Central Michigan University has set its sights on shattering the glass ceiling in STEM fields. In a groundbreaking move, the university secured the esteemed National Science Foundation ADVANCE Adaptation award in August 2023, a prestigious grant amounting to $990,183 over three years. The primary objective? To propel the representation and advancement of women faculty in the realms of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

This accolade follows CMU's prior success in 2019 with the NSF Catalyst award, a pivotal moment that sparked a profound self-examination within the institution. The Catalyst award paved the way for an in-depth introspection, uncovering the critical impediments obstructing the progress of women faculty in STEM at CMU.

Identified through this introspection were three pivotal areas demanding immediate growth:

Bias Interruption and Allyship Programs: Initiatives designed to interrupt bias and foster increased support from allies.
Transparent Policies and Equitable Procedures: Striving to develop fairer, more transparent protocols across the board.
Enhanced Recruitment Practices and Mentorship Opportunities: Intensified efforts to create inclusive faculty recruitment practices while bolstering mentoring avenues for women faculty.

CMU's 2023 Adaptation award is not merely a grant; it's a catalyst for change. It earmarks resources to fuel progressive modifications aimed at addressing the very barriers unveiled by the earlier Catalyst award.

This transformative project dovetails seamlessly with CMU's recently unveiled strategic plan. Beyond its primary focus on faculty, the NSF ADVANCE program's initiatives promise to ripple through the university, positively impacting the culture and climate for women students and staff alike.

Among the innovative programs slated for the 2023-2024 academic year are:

PowerPlay: An interactive workshop leveraging applied theatre techniques to showcase instances of bias, fostering discussions on addressing these issues constructively.
Advocates and Allies: Imported from North Dakota State University, this program empowers men with the tools and knowledge to effect positive change at personal, unit, and organizational levels.

Steering the helm of this transformative initiative is the distinguished ADVANCE Adaptation leadership team at CMU, comprising:

Tracy Galarowicz: Associate Dean in the College of Science and Engineering
Katrina Piatek-Jimenez: Faculty in the Department of Mathematics
Kirsten Weber: Faculty in the School of Communication, Journalism, and Media
Kimberly O’Brien: Faculty in the Department of Psychology

This formidable team embodies CMU's commitment to fostering a more inclusive environment, representing the vanguard of change.

For further insights into CMU's ADVANCE initiative, visit CMU's ADVANCE website. Brace yourself for a paradigm shift as CMU leads the charge towards a more equitable future in STEM!

Source: Robert Wang

Media Contact: Robert Wang