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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.

      Becky Rees
      Becky Rees

      Central Michigan University Communication Sciences and Disorders faculty member Becky Rees passed away Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021, at her home in Stanwood, Michigan. She was 43.

      Rees taught American Sign Language at CMU for 10 years and was a driving force behind CMU's annual Deaf Awareness Week.

      "Becky personalized her interactions with her students, encouraging them and helping everyone feel supported even when separated by masks and computer screens during COVID," her department wrote in a memorial statement. "She was a valued member of the ASL faculty team, active in Deaf Awareness Week celebrations, a good friend to her colleagues and an advocate for students. We will miss her stories, her puppy photos, her laughter and her smile."

      Rees and her husband of 18 years, Andrew, had two children, Daniel and Elizabeth.

      One of her many passions in life was horses, which she raised, trained and rode throughout her life. She coached the Morley-Stanwood Equestrian Team for five years after being a member of the team in high school.

      Rees also was active in 4H and loved caring for other animals including rabbits, chickens and puppies.

      She is survived by her husband, children, mother, siblings and extended family. A funeral service took place Nov. 11.

      Source: Aaron Mills

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