Start up
Build up your venture idea.
Learn more
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.
Highlighting unheard voices through the lens
by
Teagan Haynes
People scroll through photos for multiple hours a day without realizing the stories behind them. Nico Mendoza, a recent photojournalism graduate of Central Michigan University, has been perfecting the art of telling stories through photos to draw people’s attention to her subjects. Her efforts are clearly paying off as she competed against professional photojournalists throughout Michigan and placed third in Sports Action and second in Multimedia in the 2025 Michigan Press Photo Association (MPPA) Pictures of the Year contest.
Mendoza chose photojournalism as a major because of the unique stories and experiences photos can tell. In addition, “people can’t argue a photo since it is evidence of something happening.” Mendoza said.
As part of her photojournalism capstone project, Mendoza found herself at her first-ever CMU wrestling match. In one photo, she captured a collegiate wrestler being held with his head on the ground and his feet in the air. The second wrestler was using all of his strength to get the other to the ground. The photo was selected by the MPPA in recognition of its compelling framing, the focus, and the raw emotion it portrays.
Mendoza’s path at CMU started with a goal to learn to use photojournalism to spread awareness about segregation and discriminatory policies. By interviewing individuals who had experienced racism and microaggressions, she was able to share their stories through photographs. “I didn’t see a lot of people that looked like me, a person of color struggling with gender identity, and I wanted to represent the shy individuals,” Mendoza said.
This project culminated in Mendoza’s capstone project for her art minor. Her multimedia video called “How Color Paints Your World,” with over 30 portraits of people of color and interviews describing their experiences dealing with racism, was awarded second place by the MPPA. Mendoza was inspired by Platon, the Greek photographer, who shot black-and-white stylistic photos.
Mendoza appreciates the opportunities she received at CMU and looks forward to making more contributions in the world of photojournalism.
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.
