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

Diversity, equity and inclusion strategic planning underway

by User Not Found

Vital work is underway in the development of Central Michigan University's five-year diversity, equity and inclusion strategic plan. The Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has scheduled listening sessions over the next couple of months for students, faculty and staff.

Vital work is underway in the development of Central Michigan University's five-year diversity, equity and inclusion strategic plan.

To gather community input and identify key goals and priorities, the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has scheduled listening sessions over the next couple of months for students, faculty and staff.

"The purpose of these sessions is to allow constituents the opportunity to share their personal experiences and to offer our team additional insight on the ways students, faculty and staff perceive and have come to understand Central Michigan University DEI efforts," said Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Shawna Patterson-Stephens.

The sessions will be conducted using a semi-structured focus group technique. For those not able to participate or not comfortable offering their thoughts in the presence of others, an online feedback form is available.

Listening sessions

Location: Biosciences Building Room 1015

Faculty sessions:

Nov. 16 at 4:30 p.m.
Nov. 22 at 4:30 p.m.

Staff sessions:

Nov. 17 at 10 a.m.
Nov. 30 at 10 a.m.

Student sessions will be scheduled soon.

"Our diversity strategic plan will include initiatives aimed to ensure that Central Michigan University is inclusive, welcoming and supportive of all individuals," said President Bob Davies in his year-end report to the Board of Trustees in September.

Patterson-Stephens and her team also are currently meeting with CMU diversity committees and councils, alumni, and other stakeholders to identify key goals and priorities. She plans to share an update at the December Board of Trustees meeting.