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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.

      Doctoral student manages family life and academics

      by Henry Heller

      Rasha Almughrabi, a doctoral student studying Mathematics, juggled family life, writing a dissertation on complex numbers, and a teaching graduate assistantship. On her academic journey, she says, “I [was] excited about the opportunity to attend CMU because I truly believe they offer strong and accredited majors in mathematics, statistics, and data analytics. I am also most interested in the teaching internship opportunities CMU offers to students.” 

      In her dissertation, Almughrabi deals with the calculation of functions known as Bergman kernels. These functions are key in complex analysis, such as calculus with complex numbers. Almughrabi says, “The complex numbers are a system of generalized numbers providing greater flexibility [in algebra], such as allowing for the extraction of square roots of negative quantities.” 

      While completing her dissertation, Almughrabi has been responsible for her four children, with her husband working in West Virginia. She attributes some of her success to staying on top of assignments and managing her time. Almughrabi says, “I like to talk to my kids and discuss the importance of study, and gaining support from them is always pushing me towards achieving my goals.”  

      Graduate coordinator, Professor Meera Mainkar, says, “Rasha juggled three balls while at CMU, she worked hard on her Ph.D. dissertation on the challenging topic of Several Complex Variables, she was an excellent teaching assistant, and she also took care of her family including her four lovely kids. It was amazing how Rasha aced the Algebra Qualifying examination, a requirement for the mathematics Ph.D., one week after she delivered her youngest daughter. Rasha's journey is truly inspiring.” 

      This story is brought to you by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.

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