Start up
Build up your venture idea.
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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.
iGrad offers tools for financial success
by
Logan Pellegrom
Learning to budget and manage money is a big step – one many people often take for the first time during their college years. From paying rent and grocery shopping for the first time to building credit and preparing to repay loans, it is an undertaking that can feel intimidating for students who are unsure where to begin.
That’s why Central Michigan University introduced iGrad, a new financial wellness platform that helps students, faculty, staff and alumni better manage their personal finances and plan for their financial futures.
iGrad allows users to build a customized profile around their personal financial situation and then provides resources to begin working towards their needs and goals. Resources include:
- Quizzes, videos, articles, courses and a library of multimedia content.
- A student loan tracking tool that aggregates student loan balances and estimates monthly payments.
- Interactive educational content on retirement and mortgages.
iGrad is provided by the Financial Wellness Collaborative, an initiative of CMU’s Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center. iGrad is one of many tools included in their efforts to build students’ financial literacy as they navigate college.
Symantha Misale Dattilo, assistant director for the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center, said they encourage students to get started on the iGrad platform, but that it is only a jumping-off point for financial education.
“Our team also offers one-on-one peer sessions with trained student coaches to create a personalized plan to a student’s situation,” said Dattilo. “We also offer presentations for classes and groups on topics including building a budget, creating savings plans, learning basic credit information, preparing for debt repayment, and understanding job and salary offers.”
The Financial Wellness Collaborative also hosts drop-in sessions for students throughout the school year. These are held in the Volunteer Center in the Bovee University Center and do not require pre-registration.
- March 23 at 2 p.m. – Internship and job hunting
- April 8 at 11 a.m. – Evaluating job offers
- April 19 at 3 p.m. – Open Q&A
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.
