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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On-campus voting offers CMU community access to democratic process

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Central Michigan University is bringing early in-person voting to campus for February’s presidential primary election as part of its mission to prepare students for responsible global citizenship.

Early in-person voting will take place for all voters registered in Mount Pleasant and Union Township in Powers Hall 136 starting on Feb. 17 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for Michigan’s presidential primary election. It concludes on Feb. 25.

Improved access to early in-person voting was made possible through an agreement between CMU, the City of Mount Pleasant and Union Township.

Students living in Mount Pleasant and Union Township can register to vote in the local jurisdiction they reside in and cast ballots on campus during early voting. In addition to the presidential primary, voters will cast ballots on two local proposals.

Providing on-campus in-person early voting removes a hurdle that keeps many students from participating in elections.

“Most students are registered to vote at their permanent home address, which may be several hours or more away from campus,” Erica Johnson, director of the CMU Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center, previously said. “Many are unable to get back to their home voting site on election day to cast their ballot, either due to lack of transportation, class or work schedules, or simply the time it takes to get there.”

Providing on-campus early in-person voting also fulfills a core mission of higher education in helping students develop skills they need to actively participate in a democratic society.

Between 11-18 percent of students don’t register to vote, said Symantha Dattilo, assistant director of the volunteer center.

CMU has sought to boost student participation in elections in recent years. It was designated a Voter Friendly Campus for the third year in a row in 2023. The university also received two grants in 2022 to help those efforts.