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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.

      Autism expert joins Special Education faculty

      by Henry Heller

      Adam Berman, Ed.D., joins the Special Education program and brings new perspectives and strategies related to autism acceptance. Initially, Berman was drawn to CMU because of the openness and appreciation shown for his expertise and personal experiences as an autistic person and researcher.  

       Berman received his master’s and doctoral degrees in Special Education from George Washington University. Additionally, Berman taught at the K-12 level for five years.  

       Berman completed his dissertation on autism and employment outcomes, specifically how the current system of the workplace negatively impacts autistic people. Currently, Berman is working with his former doctoral advisor on a paper regarding autistic girls and how they process friendships and social relationships, which contradicts previous studies. “We are trying to show that autistic girls do want friendships and connect with people, despite researchers in the past saying autistic people do not want friends. This is one of the big [myths] we are addressing, regardless of being autistic or not, people want friends,” says Berman.  

       Since joining CMU faculty, Berman has been in contact with a senior about starting an autism-related club as a faculty advisor. The goal of the club is to speak about disability, strategies to help the community, and build community amongst autistic and disabled students.  

      This story is brought to you by the  Office of Research and Graduate Studies.

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