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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 student voting participation jumped during 2020 election
by
Aaron Mills
Central Michigan University students turned out in record numbers during the 2020 election.
According to a newly released study by the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education (IDHE) at Tufts University, 68.1% of eligible CMU students voted in the 2020 election, beating the 66% national average for all institutions. That is a 54.1%, or 23.9 percentage point, increase in participation compared to the 2016 election, which saw 44.2% of students vote.
CMU also notched impressive personal bests in voter registration rate of eligible students, 89% in 2020 compared to 74% in 2016; and voting rate of registered students, 76.5% in 2020 compared to 59.7% in 2016.
Voter participation for the 2020 presidential election was up nationally overall, but the nearly 55% increase at CMU far exceeded expectations.
"Our goal was to register as many students as possible and provide them with educational resources," said Ryan Coker, a CMU senior and president of the Central Votes registered student organization.
Central Votes RSO and other organizations including Central Civics and the Central Votes Coalition have led the grassroots effort on campus for several years and focus on all elections. Efforts include an annual "Fire Up the Vote" event, hosting a mobile Secretary of State office, handing out informational pamphlets in campus buildings and speaking with student organizations.
Coker and all of the organizations involved hope to continue to momentum from 2020 into all future elections, including midterm and local elections.
"Everyone has their reason to vote, but we are all impacted by every election," Coker said. "We're focused on empowering students to make their voices heard."
About the National Study of Learning, Voting and EngagementIDHE's National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement is the nation's largest study of college and university student voting. At this time, nearly 1,200 campuses of all types — community colleges, research universities, minority-serving and women's colleges, state universities, and private institutions — participate. The dataset reflects all 50 states and the District of Columbia and includes 49 of the nation's 50 flagship schools.
Signature Programs
Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship
Explore special opportunities to learn new skills and travel the world.
Compete & Win
New Venture Challenge 2025
Present your venture and win BIG at the New Venture Challenge.
Build your skills
Workshops and events
Boost your entrepreneurial skills through our workshops, mentor meetups and pitch competitions.
Develop your ideas
IDEA Den
Learn about the entrepreneurship makerspace on campus in Grawn Hall.
Ready, Set, Pitch!
Make-A-Pitch 2024
Present a 2-minute pitch at the Make-A-Pitch Competition and you could win prizes and bragging rights!
Meet Mentors
Mentorship and support
Connect with mentors and faculty who are here to support the next generation of CMU entrepreneurs.
Support students
Make an impact
Are you a CMU alum looking to support CMU student entrepreneurs? Learn how you can support or donate to the Entrepreneurship Institute.
View our programming newsletter
Alumni give back to students through mentorship, real-world experiences
The Wakeling Gendron Entrepreneurial Scholars program wrapped its first cohort this academic year.
Students compete to win cash prizes at the New Venture Challenge
Pitched 40 ventures at NMV Challenge, Friday, April 19, CMU. Judges awarded $100,000 in cash prizes.
Wakeling Gendron Scholars make a life-changing trip to Texas
Wakeling and Gendron Scholars attended SXSW in Texas, meeting industry leaders and gaining entrepreneurial insights.
Business barriers lead CMU students to a new venture
Justin Ashman and Philip Mundt won Central Michigan University's New Venture Competition with their 3-D printing operation, Form Further.
