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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.
Grad student puts heart into stent research
by
Kara Owens
Ali Raza, an Engineering graduate student, studied the corrosion behavior of additively manufactured (AM) Cobalt Chrome (CoCr) in heart stents. Additive manufacturing is a process of 3D printing metals, like Cobalt Chrome, to create products such as the stents used to hold open arteries.
The heart stents must not initiate or promote any inflammation after being inserted. The CoCr alloy has high corrosion resistance, however, the pH of blood plasma varies around a wound or at the site of the implant, so the corrosion behavior of these implants will also change. Sodium sulphate (Na2SO4) was used as a testing solution to mimic human blood plasma. To make the solution more aggressive and to replicate the service condition of the implant, Raza added a small quantity of chloride ions to the solution.
Raza’s goal was to investigate the corrosion behavior of AM CoCr alloys in aggressive conditions and to find the range of pH in which the implant would be stable with or without chloride ions. Raza says, “This range of pH would not only be helpful in developing more implant materials but will also be helpful in preparing the CoCr implant against harsh conditions before implantation so that the implant does not need to be replaced after a period of time – 10-15 years for normal implants.”
Previously, Raza worked on a project studying titanium dental implants which analyzed corrosion and biocompatibility by growing biological cells on the modified alloy. This project inspired Raza to continue studying more implant materials and their corrosion properties.
After graduation, Raza plans to work in the Materials Science industry to see his efforts executed at a national level.
This story is brought to you by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.
The heart stents must not initiate or promote any inflammation after being inserted. The CoCr alloy has high corrosion resistance, however, the pH of blood plasma varies around a wound or at the site of the implant, so the corrosion behavior of these implants will also change. Sodium sulphate (Na2SO4) was used as a testing solution to mimic human blood plasma. To make the solution more aggressive and to replicate the service condition of the implant, Raza added a small quantity of chloride ions to the solution.
Raza’s goal was to investigate the corrosion behavior of AM CoCr alloys in aggressive conditions and to find the range of pH in which the implant would be stable with or without chloride ions. Raza says, “This range of pH would not only be helpful in developing more implant materials but will also be helpful in preparing the CoCr implant against harsh conditions before implantation so that the implant does not need to be replaced after a period of time – 10-15 years for normal implants.”
Previously, Raza worked on a project studying titanium dental implants which analyzed corrosion and biocompatibility by growing biological cells on the modified alloy. This project inspired Raza to continue studying more implant materials and their corrosion properties.
After graduation, Raza plans to work in the Materials Science industry to see his efforts executed at a national level.
This story is brought to you by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.
Signature Programs
Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship
Explore special opportunities to learn new skills and travel the world.
Compete & Win
New Venture Challenge 2025
Present your venture and win BIG at the New Venture Challenge.
Build your skills
Workshops and events
Boost your entrepreneurial skills through our workshops, mentor meetups and pitch competitions.
Develop your ideas
IDEA Den
Learn about the entrepreneurship makerspace on campus in Grawn Hall.
Ready, Set, Pitch!
Make-A-Pitch 2024
Present a 2-minute pitch at the Make-A-Pitch Competition and you could win prizes and bragging rights!
Meet Mentors
Mentorship and support
Connect with mentors and faculty who are here to support the next generation of CMU entrepreneurs.
Support students
Make an impact
Are you a CMU alum looking to support CMU student entrepreneurs? Learn how you can support or donate to the Entrepreneurship Institute.
View our programming newsletter
Alumni give back to students through mentorship, real-world experiences
The Wakeling Gendron Entrepreneurial Scholars program wrapped its first cohort this academic year.
Students compete to win cash prizes at the New Venture Challenge
Pitched 40 ventures at NMV Challenge, Friday, April 19, CMU. Judges awarded $100,000 in cash prizes.
Wakeling Gendron Scholars make a life-changing trip to Texas
Wakeling and Gendron Scholars attended SXSW in Texas, meeting industry leaders and gaining entrepreneurial insights.
Business barriers lead CMU students to a new venture
Justin Ashman and Philip Mundt won Central Michigan University's New Venture Competition with their 3-D printing operation, Form Further.
