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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.
Michigan legislators recognize CMU health programs
by
Ari Harris
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Didactic Program in Dietetics at Central Michigan University, Michigan State Representatives Jerry Neyer and Tom Kunse visited campus to learn more about health professions programs at CMU.
Dietetics program director and faculty member Najat Yahia gave a presentation on the program’s history, its mission to promote health and well-being, and its contributions to public health in communities throughout the state.
In an informal ceremony, Rep. Neyer presented a State of Michigan Special Tribute to the program and to The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions. In attendance were (from left to right): Interim Dean Greg Zimmerman, Interim Provost Paula Lancaster, Program Director Najat Yahia, Rep. Neyer, CMU President Neil MacKinnon, and dietetics faculty member Robert Bell.
Following the presentation, Michigan State Representative Tom Kunse joined the group for an afternoon tour of the college. Interim Dean Greg Zimmerman provided updates on several of the college’s new and growing health profession programs, including the recently launched four-year nursing program.
“Our goal is to work collaboratively with our medical and hospital partners to meet the rural health needs of central and northern Michigan,” Zimmerman said. “These programs educate and train the next generation of health care leaders who will serve those communities.”
Amy Malheim, the Director of the Interprofessional Education and Practice Center, showcased ways CMU students engage with center tools and technology to deepen their understanding and develop their professional skills.
The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions offers undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs in a number of disciplines and emphasizes hands-on learning to help students become well-qualified care providers, Zimmerman said. That includes working alongside faculty researchers as well as providing direct patient care under the supervision of faculty and staff in centers including the IEPC, the Carls Center for Clinical Care and Education, and Mobile Health Central.
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.
