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.

Learn more

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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First scooter company approved for operation in Mt. Pleasant

by User Not Found

As the City of Mount Pleasant welcomes its first rental scooter company to town, Central Michigan University has a new micro-mobility device policy that takes effect May 1, 2023.

The policy, which applies to all personal and professionally owned devices, comes on the heels of a city ordinance, passed in 2022, allowing permitted electronic scooter companies to operate within the Mt. Pleasant city limits.

The first micro-mobility company to be approved for operation by the city, San Francisco-based Spin, recently deployed a fleet of scooters at various locations in Mt. Pleasant – including on CMU’s campus.

Here are answers to some of the most-asked questions regarding the use of scooters and other micro-mobility devices at CMU:

How fast can micro-mobility devices go on campus?

While on sidewalks on the CMU campus, all personal and professionally owned micro-mobility devices must obey a strict 10 mph speed limit. All professionally owned scooters will be programmed to self-limit to a top speed of 10 mph while operating within the campus boundaries.

Where will Spin deploy its scooters?

Spin scooters will be deployed at designated parking locations in Mt. Pleasant and at bicycle racks and designated parking areas around campus.

Where can users park micro-mobility vehicles on campus?

Users must park at bike racks or designated parking corrals on campus; this is true for personally owned and professionally owned devices.

Can I charge my micro-mobility device in my residence hall or office?

No. The charging, storage, possession and or use of micro-mobility devices is prohibited within all university buildings. You should not ride or bring a micro-mobility device into any university building.