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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 Speaker Series message: Voting is vital

      by Sanjna Jassi
      Central Michigan University Speaker Series will virtually host Rock the Vote, a nonpartisan discussion about the importance of voting, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27.

      Central Michigan University's Speaker Series will virtually host Rock the Vote at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, via WebEx. The nonpartisan discussion about the importance of voting will include a keynote from Carolyn DeWitt, Rock the Vote's president and executive director.

      "We are committed to increasing voter participation at CMU, not only among students but also among our faculty, staff, alumni and friends," said President Bob Davies. "Hosting the Rock the Vote event is just one way we are leveraging our resources to support civic engagement and responsible citizenship."

      Interested participants are encouraged to complete an online registration form, which includes an opportunity to submit a question for DeWitt, a nationally recognized advocate for young voters.

      "It is a privilege to join CMU one week from Election Day," DeWitt said. "This conversation couldn't come at a more important time and arguably to a more important audience: young people in a key battleground state.

      "This is the most consequential election of our lifetime, and young voters have the power to determine the direction of our democracy."

      Dewitt has overseen Rock the Vote's resurgence, moving the organization toward an education and issue-first approach with targeted outreach to diverse and marginalized communities.

      Rock the Vote is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to building the political power of young people. Since its founding, the organization has processed more than 13 million voter registrations.

      Following DeWitt's keynote address, faculty members Scott McNaught from Biology, Spencer Robinson from Finance and Law and Entrepreneurship, and Kyle Scherr from Psychology will participate in a moderated panel discussion.

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