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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.
Two CMU creative writing students win national award and acclaim
by
Sarah Buckley
Central Michigan University students made history this year winning both of the national poetry prizes awarded through the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS). Sara Daniels and Weston Wise, both English majors and Creative Writing Certificate students, received the news in late March.
NFSPS has sponsored the College Undergraduate Poetry Competition awarding two prizes to undergraduate students annually for more than 25 years.
“This is the first time that both winning manuscripts in the same year are from students at the same college/university,” said Paul Ford, NFSPS President, “CMU's English department, I am sure, will be very happy to announce their wins.”
Daniels and Wise each submitted a poetry manuscript for the competition and will receive a $500 cash prize, publication of their chapbook, 75 copies of the publication, complimentary membership to NFSPS, and a travel stipend to Des Moines, Iowa, this June, to read their winning work.
Daniels praised CMU’s literary community and says she remembers dreaming about publishing a book as a child.
“I’m really grateful to work with CMU’s world-class creative writing professors who support students in pursuing opportunities such as this,” Daniels said. “CMU’s creative writing program is the best writing community I’ve ever been a part of. Every professor and student I’ve encountered has been so supportive of each other, so welcoming, insightful and passionate.”
Wise says CMU’s Creative Writing program gave him newfound confidence in experimentation and revision.
“These skills have helped me to develop strategies for the inspiration, production and refinement of my writing,” Wise said. “I’m hopeful this represents the next step in a larger journey for me as a writer.”
For both of these young writers, the journey is off to a great start.
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.
