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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.
Annual CMU scholarship golf outing provides decades of impact
by
Jason Fielder
Over 100 golfers and supporters gathered at the Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, MI, to take part in the “36th Annual CMU Grand Traverse Scholarship Golf Outing: Remembering Thomas “Bud” Moore.”
Participants took part in an 18-hole scramble for prizes along with other golf contests. This year’s outing raised over $20,000 for CMU students.
CMU alumnus Dan Stoudt, ’70, is a founding member of the event. He says the idea for it was ignited during a dinner in Northern Michigan.
“A friend (the late Thomas “Bud” Moore) invited about 20 people to his cottage on the Boardman River,” Stoudt said. “Some attendees were CMU graduates, but a number were just friends and work colleagues. After dinner was over, he informed us that we were the initial scholarship outing committee to fundraise scholarships for area students.”
Stoudt, the winner of the 2023 CMU Alumni Service Recognition Award, says he quickly jumped in to get involved because, “it sounded like a great idea,” and he’s been a committee member for the outing ever since.
The event has grown over the years and has now awarded more than $330,000 in 151 scholarships to students from Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau counties.
“We are grateful for the continued support of our alumni and friends in the Grand Traverse area that make a difference in the lives of our CMU students,” said Jennifer Cotter, CMU vice president for advancement.
“Their fired-up spirit supports students both on our campus in Mt. Pleasant and through Innovation and Online in the Traverse City area. We truly appreciate the impact they are making.”
The Grand Traverse Alumni Chapter Scholarship application will become available in the Scholarship Universe Portal for the 2025-2026 academic year during Spring 2025. In the meantime, interested students may view the eligibility criteria in the Scholarship Universe – Public Listing. The Scholarship Universe Portal is available here.
Signature Programs
Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship
Explore special opportunities to learn new skills and travel the world.
Compete & Win
New Venture Challenge 2025
Present your venture and win BIG at the New Venture Challenge.
Build your skills
Workshops and events
Boost your entrepreneurial skills through our workshops, mentor meetups and pitch competitions.
Develop your ideas
IDEA Den
Learn about the entrepreneurship makerspace on campus in Grawn Hall.
Ready, Set, Pitch!
Make-A-Pitch 2024
Present a 2-minute pitch at the Make-A-Pitch Competition and you could win prizes and bragging rights!
Meet Mentors
Mentorship and support
Connect with mentors and faculty who are here to support the next generation of CMU entrepreneurs.
Support students
Make an impact
Are you a CMU alum looking to support CMU student entrepreneurs? Learn how you can support or donate to the Entrepreneurship Institute.
View our programming newsletter
Alumni give back to students through mentorship, real-world experiences
The Wakeling Gendron Entrepreneurial Scholars program wrapped its first cohort this academic year.
Students compete to win cash prizes at the New Venture Challenge
Pitched 40 ventures at NMV Challenge, Friday, April 19, CMU. Judges awarded $100,000 in cash prizes.
Wakeling Gendron Scholars make a life-changing trip to Texas
Wakeling and Gendron Scholars attended SXSW in Texas, meeting industry leaders and gaining entrepreneurial insights.
Business barriers lead CMU students to a new venture
Justin Ashman and Philip Mundt won Central Michigan University's New Venture Competition with their 3-D printing operation, Form Further.
