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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.

      A promise to do better

      by Sanjna Jassi
      President Bob Davies issues statement on racism at Central Michigan University.

      In recent days, current and former black and African American students have reached out on social media to share their experiences with racism at CMU. I am deeply saddened by their stories; the incidents they describe should never happen to any person, and they certainly should never have occurred at a university that seeks to be an inclusive community of scholars.

      I know these students are not alone in their experiences. Several other students of color, as well as students who identify as LGBTQ+, have expressed that they, too, felt unwelcome or isolated during their years on our campus. Some tried to ask for help and felt their concerns were swept under the rug by the very people who should have listened and supported them.

      I begin with an apology to the students, faculty and staff who felt invisible or unwelcome: This is unacceptable and I am truly sorry we let you down.

      Next, I promise that we will do better. We must acknowledge our history before we can create a better future. And while it is an impossible task to fully eradicate racism and hatred from every heart, it is possible and necessary for us to improve CMU.

      We are investigating the stories you share. We are looking for our blind spots and shortcomings, and we are putting into place policies and practices that will prevent future students from having these experiences. We will hold each other accountable for our actions and our work to address these issues.

      I cannot change the past, but I will work with our students, faculty, staff and alumni to ensure a better future for others.

      Sincerely,

      Bob Davies, president

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