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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’s budget model review underway

      by Aaron Mills

      Central Michigan University's budget model review is underway, led by executive sponsors and a broad-based steering committee formed earlier this semester. Currently, the group is reviewing historical information and financial data and examining related university policies and practices, as well as budget models at other similar institutions.

      Last December, the Board of Trustees voted to authorize the university to suspend the use of the responsibility center management budget model — a model that has been in place at CMU for more than two decades.  

      The budget model will be designed throughout the spring semester and used in the creation of the FY 2022-23 operating budget.

      The steering committee also is engaging the campus community through focused discussions with numerous campus stakeholder groups on the following topics: academics, research, administrative, operational and student support, and auxiliary functions.

      "This is an important step so that the university can strategically and effectively allocate resources while reviewing and proposing necessary changes to the current budget model," said Nick Long, vice president for finance and administrative services and chief financial officer. "We look forward to engaging our campus community in this effort."

      Listening and learning sessions:

      • Monday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m.
      • Tuesday, Nov. 30, at 3:30 p.m.

      Locations of these sessions will be announced soon via CMU Today and also will be posted to the budget model process website.

      Events

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      View our programming newsletter

      Entrepreneurship News

      Questions?

      Contact the team