Start up
Build up your venture idea.
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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 professional sales fraternity excels at national convention
by
Jessica Meyers
Central Michigan University’s Pi Sigma Epsilon sales fraternity recently sent 17 members of the
Zeta Nu Chapter
to the annual Pi Sigma Epsilon national convention
in Norfolk, Virginia. The convention offers valuable opportunities for students to expand their professional network, learn from industry leaders, connect with employers, and showcase their skills in various competitions.
The students' hard work and dedication paid off as they took home multiple awards, including scholarships and competition victories.
As a chapter, CMU placed first in the Pro-Am-Sell-a-Thon Team Competition. This yearlong competition provides an opportunity for students to learn and apply all aspects of the sales process.
For the past ten years, CMU has received the Arno Kleimenhagen Award for Sustained Excellence recognizing their placement as a high achieving chapter.
CMU’s chapter placed as follows:
National Awards Program
Arno Kleimenhagen Award for Sustained Excellence awarded to Central Michigan University
Finalist - Top Alumni Advisor - Ben Griffith
Finalist - Top Chapter Recruitment Program
Finalist - Top MKT/Sales Project – Profit
Finalist - Top PSE Salesperson - Kayli Kalish
Finalist - Whan Challenger Award – Marisa Lopez
National Convention Pro-Am Sell-a-Thon Team Competition
1st Place won by Central Michigan University
National Convention Pro-Am Sell-a-Thon
1st Place - Kayli Kalish
4th Place - Aysha Hassan
Top 10 - Kyleigh Golightly
Semifinalist - Noel Durham
Semifinalist - Faith Weide
Semifinalist - Marisa Lopez
Yearlong Pro-Am Sell-a-Thon Competition
2nd Place - Kyleigh Golightly
3rd Place - Kayli Kalish
National Speakers Competition
Finalist - Faith Weide
National Educational Foundation Scholarship Program
Cintas Scholarship won by Kyleigh Golightly
UPS Scholarship won by Mark Paparella
Interview Competition
Finalist - Faith Weide
Finalist - Marissa Crase
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.
