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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.

      First-gen feature: Five questions with Senior Haylei Drope

      by Kurt Baringer

      Meet Haylei Drope, a first-gen senior at CBA, sharing her inspiring journey and advice for future students.

      What inspired you to go to college?

      My grandparents worked in fields and factories, my dad is a truck driver, and my mom is a waitress. From a young age, my family always pushed me and told me they wanted more for me.  

      What does being a first-generation student mean to you?

      As a senior, being a first-generation student really means defeating adversity. Defeating the stereotype and getting to where I am has made me a better person and I couldn’t be more thankful for it.

      What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a future first-generation student to help them on their journey?

      Find your people! There will never be a more impactful resource than that. Whether it is friends, professors or faculty. Find someone that understands what you are going through.

      What do you love most about CMU?

      The community. I have made the best friends within the CBA and the CMU community. The people here truly make me proud to be a Chippewa.

      What do you hope your degree will help you achieve?

      I hope my degree allows me to give back. I not only want to give back to my community, but to my family and other first-generation college students. This has been a difficult journey for me and I want to one day find myself in a position to help others navigate it themselves.

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      Entrepreneurship News

      Questions?

      Contact the team