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.

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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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Diversity Gala award nominations open

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Nominations are open for six awards through the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that will be announced during its third Diversity Gala.

The six awards recognize the contributions of people and organizations that help make Central Michigan University – and the Mt. Pleasant community – more inclusive. Winners will receive their awards at the gala on April 26.

Members of the CMU community can complete an online nomination form to suggest students, faculty or staff members, and university groups for consideration. Nominations are due by 5 p.m. on March 15.

Among the evening’s awards is the Dr. Diane E. Newby Award, given to an individual who works towards developing inclusive, equitable and just practices, teaching and/or educational policy.

Last year’s winner was Georgina Wilson, a faculty member of the educational leadership department in the College of Education and Human Services.

Nominees can include students, registered student organizations, faculty, tutors, teachers and administrators.

The other awards are:

Distinction in Mentorship, awarded to recognize a person’s work in cultivating mentoring relationships to help improve a sense of belonging and graduation of college students. The nominees can include students, faculty and staff.

Provost’s Award for Exemplary Research and Scholarship, awarded to recognize a person who has focused their work on diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice to help solve global problems. The nominees can include students, faculty and staff.

Innovation in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice, awarded to people or groups that have implemented creative approaches towards meeting CMU’s DEIJ priorities. The nominees can include students, faculty, staff, registered student organizations and athletics teams.

Outstanding Social Justice Leadership in Community Service (Individual), awarded to a person whose character embraces a civic duty to uphold societal needs. Nominees can include students, community leaders, community organizers, spiritual leaders, faculty and administrators/staff.

Outstanding Social Justice Leadership in Community Service (Group), awarded to people or organizations whose character embraces a civic duty to uphold societal needs. Nominees can include registered student organizations, community groups, community organizations, faculty, administrators/staff affinity groups and campus offices/departments/colleges.