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A student standing and speaking in front of a large crowd in French Auditorium.

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.

      Some of the top photos from Central Michigan University events and activities during the week of Feb. 27-March 5, as captured by University Communications.

      A person stands on the stage at Plachta Auditorium while the dimly-lit crowd holds up their mobile phones while waving their hands in the air.
      Hundreds gathered for the 23rd annual Organization of Black Unity Fashion Show at Plachta Auditorium.
      Six students crouch down on the stage while modeling student-designed fashion.
      The theme for this year’s OBU Fashion Show was “Dear OBU,” which featured a variety of student designers and their pieces, student models and performances.
      Four students sit at a small round table while smiling and drinking coffee.
      The Wall Street Journal Club meets inside Ponder Coffee Company's Charles V. Park Library location.
      A wide-angle shot of nearly a dozen students sitting in a circle inside a coffee shop.
      College of Business Administration students have an in-depth conversation with Keith MacDonald, vice president of Insurance Operations at Dow.
      A neurology student works in a lab inside the Biosciences Building.
      A neurology student works in a laboratory inside the Biosciences Building.
      Two students sit at a table inside a classroom writing on pieces of paper.
      Biology students work on their in-class assignments.
      Students walk take various snacks from a table set up in a hallway inside the University Center.
      A booth containing snacks, mental health resources and activities was set up in the Bovee University Center as part of the “Take Care” initiative.
      Students stand at a table covered with various items available for crafting.
      CMU students utilized a variety of mental health resources and activities in the Bovee University Center as part of the “Take Care” initiative.

       

      Source: Aaron Mills

      Media Contact: Aaron Mills

      Events

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      Entrepreneurship News

      Questions?

      Contact the team