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.

2025 NVC Competition Live Stream

2025 NVC Awards Live Stream

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.

A student standing with a faculty member holding big winning checks from the New Venture Challenge 2024.

Start up

Build up your venture idea.

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A student smiling and standing in front of his venture display at the 2024 New Venture Challenge.

Family business

Explore the Alternative Entrepreneurial Pathways category at NVC.

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A close-up of the Prusa i3 MK3 printer in the entrepreneurship makerspace, the IDEA Den in Grawn Hall 166.

Product and prototype design

Create and patent your ideas.

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Innovation

Explore your ideas and build your skills.

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New CMU podcast highlights faculty, staff expertise

by User Not Found

What are YOU searching for? There’s a good chance you’ll find it this year on an episode of “The Search Bar,” a new podcast at Central Michigan University.

“The Search Bar is much more than a podcast,” John Veilleux, vice president and chief marketing officer for Central Michigan University said. “It’s an opportunity to showcase the vast and varied knowledge of CMU’s brilliant faculty and staff while also raising the university's reputation.”

The podcast, produced by University Communications, puts faculty and staff expertise front and center in answering some of the internet’s most-asked questions. Using sites like AnswerThePublic.com and SEMrush, the podcast team identifies popular, trending topics and commonly asked questions such as:

How do I protect my teen on social media? What is inflation? How do I stand out in a job interview? What’s the difference between stress and anxiety?

Host Adam Sparkes, associate director of multimedia and photography for University Communications, invites faculty and staff guests to share their experience and expertise in an easy-to-consume 15-minute episode.

In addition to the podcast, content from each interview will be shared in authentic and entertaining ways across various digital channels including social media and the cmich.edu website, as well as in media pitches and more.

The first three episodes of “The Search Bar” are available now on the CMU website and the following platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and YouTube.

Interested in appearing on the podcast, or have a topic you think would make a great podcast episode? Contact University Communications at news@cmich.edu.