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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.

      Engineering professor awarded 2025 Provost’s Award for research

      by Teagan Haynes

      Access to clean water is a necessity for the environment and human health. However, the increasing presence of invisible pollutants in our water systems has become a growing concern. Itzel Marquez Ph.D. in the School of Engineering and Technology is collaborating with the University of Arizona on a newly funded research project that addresses water contamination. Based on her research grants, published articles, and mentoring of many students in her successful research program, Marquez received the 2025 Provost’s award.  This prestigious award recognizes early to mid-career faculty members who have achieved notable success in research and scholarly activities.  

      One key aspect of Marquez's research involves developing wastewater treatment techniques to reduce the impact of organic contaminants such as ibuprofen, sunscreen, and other household chemicals. In traditional wastewater treatment processes, these contaminants cannot be easily removed and therefore end up in water systems, affecting both the health of the environment and posing significant risks to public health. 

      Marquez is working with her team of students and collaborators to use specific types of light to eliminate contaminants from the water supply. This process requires a thorough understanding of how the contaminants react when exposed to light.  

      Marquez is thankful for the support from CMU to initiate her research program as well as the new funding from the United States Department of Defense grant. The next steps for her team involve collecting samples to understand the effects of light exposure on a variety of contaminants. They look forward to developing effective strategies for improving water quality in vulnerable regions. 

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