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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.

      Alum makes $500,000 gift to College of Business Administration

      by User Not Found
      Bob Oros, a 1990 graduate of Central Michigan University, has provided a generous gift of $500,000 to develop a new fund, the Bob Oros Multi-Asset Investment Fund.
      Bob Oros, a 1990 graduate of Central Michigan University, has provided a generous gift of $500,000 to develop a new fund, the Bob Oros Multi-Asset Investment Fund. This gift will provide opportunities for students in the College of Business Administration to gain real-world experience managing an asset portfolio while becoming familiar with Global Investment Performance Standards. 

      Oros is the chairman and CEO of Hightower, a national wealth management firm that invests in and supports independent-minded financial advisory businesses to accelerate their growth. He has more than 20 years of leadership, strategic and operational experience, with a strong track record of successfully recruiting, retaining, and supporting advisors at firms such as HD Vest, Fidelity, LPL Financial, and Charles Schwab. Oros also serves as a member of the CBA Dean's Roundtable advisory board. 

      "I am a big believer in practical learning. As I thought about how I could make a difference with my time and treasure, this seemed like a great way to accomplish both," Oros said. "I wanted students to have broad latitude to set asset allocation and invest in all areas of the market. This will help students gain real-world learning, but also they will see their efforts pay off in growing this financial asset, which will benefit the university for years to come." 

      The Bob Oros Multi-Asset Investment Fund will allow 15-20 students each year to gain hands-on experience managing a portfolio that includes equity, fixed income, cash, and alternative asset categories. The investment committee will meet each week to discuss risk, return, and additional investments. In addition, an advisory committee consisting of Oros, finance faculty member Dr. Brad Taylor and CBA Dean Chris Moberg will review the investment activity of the fund. 

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