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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.

      EPA recognizes CMU as University Partner of the Year for sustainability efforts

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      The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized Central Michigan University with two honors as a part of its Sustainable Materials Management Program: the 2020 College and University Partner of the Year Award and the 2021 WasteWise National Narrative Sustainability Public Education Award.

      CMU’s work to earn these honors included successfully diverting more than 1,447 tons of waste from landfills in 2019. This involved recycling, selling and composting materials, food waste and bulk items from CMU’s campus that would otherwise wind up in landfills, contributing to climate change and other environmental impacts.

      In addition, the national narrative award recognized the university’s establishment of Central Sustainability, created in 2020 and led by students Teresa Homsi and Eric Urbaniak. The initiative supports interdisciplinary efforts to create greater sustainability and pursue projects, both on and off campus, that are environmentally and socially conscious.

      Jay Kahn, director of facilities operations at CMU, said the university has partnered with the EPA for more than a decade. Winning both education categories demonstrates the overall impact made by the university, he said.

      “These awards not only recognize our efforts over the past two-to-three years, but all of our sustainability work over the past decade-plus,” said Kahn. “This shows that we have been long-time players in sustainability.”

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