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.

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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.

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Innovation

Explore your ideas and build your skills.

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Davies to update trustees on strategic envisioning

by Sanjay Gupta

CMU’s Board of Trustees will hear an update on strategic envisioning when it meets Thursday starting at 8:45 a.m. in the Bovee University Center.

President Bob Davies will update the Board of Trustees on Central Michigan University's strategic envisioning process when the board meets at 8:45 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, in the President's Conference Room of the Bovee University Center.

The strategic envisioning process is a framework that will equip CMU to meet the challenges and needs of the next 10 years. A new website presents information about the process and the committees collaborating on its five strategic pathways. The site also invites the campus and community to submit feedback.

Abby Dean, director of integrated marketing for University Communications, will update trustees on the university's ongoing recruitment-focused website redesign project that launched in summer 2019.

The board also will officially approve upgrades to Carey Hall and will set 2020-21 room, board and apartment rates.

Before Thursday's formal session, the following committees will meet Wednesday in the President's Conference Room. Agenda items include:

Enterprise Risk, 1-1:50 p.m. — Discussion of collective bargaining, labor-employee relations, and employee recruitment and retention.
Academic and Student Affairs, 2-3 p.m. — Provost Mary C. Schutten's report on strategic envisioning pathway No. 1 (enhancing overall academic quality and environment with a renewed commitment to rigor, relevance and excellence in curricular, cocurricular and extracurricular programs); and the President's and Provost's Fund for Program Innovation and Excellence.
Finance and Facilities, 3:05-4:05 p.m. — Discussion of budget-to-actual update for 2019-20 and agenda items for Thursday, including room, board and apartment rates and Carey Hall remodeling.
Trustees-Faculty Liaison, 4:10-5 p.m. — Presentation by faculty members Jen Weible and Ray Francis on the Doctor of Educational Technology degree and discussion of strategic envisioning pathway No. 4 (understanding and proactively addressing the dynamic nature of current and future college students).
Trustees-Student Liaison, 5:10-6 p.m. — Reports from Student Government Association President Jake Hendricks and Vice President Lyndi Rose, Residence Housing Association Director Mary St. John, Program Board President Madison Mariles, and representatives of the Financial Wellness Collaborative.

All meetings are open to the public, and meeting agendas are available on the Board of Trustees' website.