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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.

      Fashion, Merchandising, and Design Graduate Student to Present Two Studies at Conference

      by User Not Found

      Leslee J. Weible, a Fashion, Merchandising and Design graduate student, will present findings on two recent studies.  The first, conducted with faculty member, Pimpawan Kumphai, “It’s Getting Hot in Here: Assessing Thermal Responses of Different Clothing Ensembles on Wheelchair Users Using Thermal Camera,” investigated how heat is generated by an individual in a wheelchair wearing different clothing ensembles.  By using an infrared camera, provided an understanding, both statistically and visually, of how radial heat transfers when sitting in a wheelchair.  The results of this study could potentially improve the design and function of wheelchairs or adaptive clothing for wheelchair users.

      In the second study, conducted with faculty member, Su Kyoung An, “Adaptive Clothing for People Affected by Parkinson’s Disease,” two designs were developed to give people who are wheelchair-bound with Parkinson’s Disease symptoms more options for dressing independently.  The objective is to give people more freedom in their day-to-day life and confidence in their appearance.

      The International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) Conference will be held October 26-29, in Denver, CO. The ITAA advances excellence in education, scholarship, and innovation, and their global applications, and promotes the discovery, dissemination, and application of knowledge.

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      Questions?

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