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 welcomes Dr. Rasha Gargees, champion of diversity and cutting-edge technology

by Robert Wang

Help us welcome Dr. Rasha Gargees to the Department of Computer Science at CMU. She brings with her a wealth of experience and expertise in computer science and a passion for innovation and inclusivity.

Dr. Gargees' journey to CMU began with her completion of a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Missouri, where she actively participated in a program aimed at supporting underrepresented groups in academia. Her involvement in research, teaching, and academic service during this fellowship laid a solid groundwork for her current position at CMU. With a strong academic background, including master's and PhD degrees from the University of Missouri, Dr. Gargees is well-equipped to teach courses and conduct research in her areas of expertise at CMU.

Driven by her fascination with the pervasive influence of computer science across various disciplines, Dr. Gargees is particularly interested in leveraging computational techniques to develop effective solutions and drive innovation, particularly in STEM fields. She brings a dynamic perspective to the faculty, fueled by her passion for the swift pace of technological progress and its societal implications.

At CMU, Dr. Gargees has already begun making an impact by developing and teaching various courses for undergraduate and graduate students, including an introduction to text mining, alternative programming languages, and the upcoming Supervised Machine Learning course. Her research focuses on exploring cutting-edge technologies such as deep learning, artificial intelligence, IoT, and cloud/fog computing, with the aim of enhancing various aspects of daily life, from healthcare to geospatial intelligence.

"I am committed to supporting the academic community and ensuring our students' success," says Dr. Gargees. "Through interdisciplinary collaboration and a focus on industry partnerships, I am eager to further our academic and research efforts and promote STEM education among our students."

With her dedication to diversity, innovation, and academic excellence, Dr. Rasha Gargees is poised to make meaningful contributions to CMU's Computer Science department and the broader academic community. Her arrival signals a new era of growth and innovation at CMU, as the university continues its mission to inspire and educate the next generation of leaders in technology and beyond.