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.

Learn more

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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Board of Trustees agenda includes tuition rates, budget

by Sanjna Jassi

The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees will meet virtually June 23 and 24, 2021.

The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees will consider approval of next year's tuition rates and operating budget when it meets Thursday at 10 a.m. The formal session — as well as committee meetings Wednesday afternoon — will be available via livestream to the university community and the general public.

Trustees also will consider departmental mergers and the establishment of a School of Politics, Society, Justice and Public Service in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. The new school would be created by merging sociology, social work, political science and public administration, which are currently housed within different departments.

At Thursday's formal session, which is available virtually via this link, the board also will consider approval of:

A $435 million 2021-22 operating budget.
2021-22 rates for tuition, room and board, and apartments.
Authorization of bond refinancing and additional debt.

Wednesday's committee meetings can be accessed virtually via this link. Along with reviewing several items that will be on the formal agenda, highlights of the committee meetings include:

Policy and Bylaws — 2:15-2:30 p.m. — Discussion regarding traffic ordinance amendments approved as part of the 2021-22 campus map as well as traffic control orders.
Academic and Student Affairs — 2:30-3:30 p.m. — An update on student enrollment and success presented by Jennifer DeHaemers, vice president for enrollment and retention, and Tony Voisin, associate vice president for student affairs. In addition, Provost Mary C. Schutten will provide an update on academic prioritization.
Finance and Facilities — 3:45-4:45 p.m. — Progress on summer construction and the master plan update presented by Jonathan Webb, associate vice president for facilities management.

The trustees-faculty and trustees-student liaison committees do not meet in June.

In accordance with the Board of Trustees bylaws, public comment will be allowed for Thursday's formal session by submitting a request online; comments must be provided in advance to be read at the meeting. Given the virtual meeting, public comment will not be delivered in person for this meeting.

The agendas for the June meetings are available on the Board of Trustees' website.