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.

2025 NVC Competition Live Stream

2025 NVC Awards Live Stream

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 student standing with a faculty member holding big winning checks from the New Venture Challenge 2024.

Start up

Build up your venture idea.

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A student smiling and standing in front of his venture display at the 2024 New Venture Challenge.

Family business

Explore the Alternative Entrepreneurial Pathways category at NVC.

Learn more

A close-up of the Prusa i3 MK3 printer in the entrepreneurship makerspace, the IDEA Den in Grawn Hall 166.

Product and prototype design

Create and patent your ideas.

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Innovation

Explore your ideas and build your skills.

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Athletics to award scholarships and grants at 2021 home football games

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CMU students and RSOs can win $1,000 by attending home football games and showing school spirit.

This fall, Central Michigan University students have the chance to win a new and unique grant. CMU Athletics is awarding two $1,000 prizes, one scholarship for a student and one grant to a registered student organization, at each of the 2021 home football games for showing school spirit and supporting the CMU Chippewas on game day.

The fund was created through a donation by Mike and Beth Tierney and Brian and Heidi Tierney. Mike, Beth and Brian are CMU alumni and Brian played football for CMU from 1984-1988. The Tierneys, who are longtime CMU supporters, made the donation to not only help current students and promote the football program but to also honor their parents, Ruth and Joe Tierney, who supported five of their children (Mike, Pat, Maureen, Kerry and Brian) and two grandchildren (Ryan and Poom) through CMU.

The 12 recipients of the prizes are chosen through a drawing at each game. The drawings are open to any currently enrolled CMU student and RSO. Here is how to enter:

For students: Post a selfie with an Action C from within the stadium on your Instagram feed after gates open on game day.
For RSOs: Post a group photo in front of the "Fire Up Chips wall" in the student section on your RSO Instagram feed after gates open on game day. The photo must have the majority of your RSO membership pictured to be eligible.
Use #FireUpForGameDay in the caption of the post.
Tag @CMUAthletics.

A winner for each of the two prizes per game will be chosen randomly during halftime, and the winners will be notified through Instagram by CMU Athletics. Winning students must respond before the first media timeout of the third quarter, or another account will be selected as the winner. The winners will be presented with the scholarship and grant on the field during a timeout during the second half of the same game.

In addition to these 12 prizes, the Tierneys pledged an additional $1,000 to be given out as an extra drawing at the Sept. 25 game against FIU. The extra award will be given to an additional student and made in person by Ruth and Joe Tierney during the game.

The program kicked off at the Sept. 11 home game against Robert Morris University. CMU student Jessica Bertolini won the individual scholarship, and Student Environmental Alliance and Take Back the Tap received the RSO grant.

CMU football has five remaining home games this season: Sept. 25 vs. FIU, Oct. 16 vs. the University of Toledo, Oct. 23 vs. Northern Illinois University, Nov. 10 vs. Kent State University and Nov. 26 vs. Eastern Michigan University.

The Tierney family has supported CMU for many years and have made significant contributions to both CMU Athletics and the university as a whole, including to the new Champions Center, which renamed the student tailgate lot to the Tierney Family Tailgate Lot. Mike Tierney has served on the CMU Advancement Board for 25 years.