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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 researches wastewater and its relation to COVID numbers
by
Henry Heller
Chris Haupt, a biochemistry and molecular biology graduate student, is researching the relationship between COVID numbers in wastewater samples and how it relates to antibiotic resistance genes. This research is taking place at the Mount Pleasant Wastewater Treatment Facility.
The surveillance of the wastewater treatment facility began before Haupt joined Assistant Professor Maggie William’s lab. Haupt’s project began in November 2022. He analyzed wastewater samples, conducted PCR tests, and analyzed data to relate to the overall project.
Haupt is looking for a relationship between COVID numbers in wastewater samples and how it relates to antibiotic resistance genes. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were being misdiagnosed and being prescribed antibiotics. With a higher amount of antibiotics ending up in wastewater, higher amounts of an antibiotic resistance gene could also end up in wastewater. Wastewater ends up in water treatment facilities where Haupt and other researchers are working on these projects.
When it comes to his research Haupt said, “antibiotic resistance is already a huge issue, and will only get worse.” He wants to bring awareness to this field of study and to the potential that wastewater may be a reservoir for antibiotic-resistant genes. Hopefully, it will get more people inspired to research this topic further and combat any new strains.
Haupt always had an interest in molecular biology and bacteria and how it affects us. Many people think ‘out of sight, out of mind,’ but bacteria and viruses can cause many life-threatening illnesses and infections. Haupt believes resistance is an important field to study because it can help people’s health and safety by knowing what’s out in our world.
Haupt started his master's at CMU but now wants to extend this research into a Ph.D. He found passion in this subject because of his research at CMU and wants to continue his learning journey.
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.
