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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.

      Bringing film creativity to life

      by Sanjay Gupta
      High school students from across mid-Michigan attended film school as part of the annual Central Michigan International Film Festival.

      “Working with young people and creating these sorts of playful landscapes, it’s like kindergarten for grown-ups.” That’s how Steve Leeper, animation faculty member, described the Central Michigan International Film Festival’s first film school.

      Leeper’s lesson plan involved colorful paper plates, tissue paper and swimming pool noodles to create an alien creature, with the goal of teaching attendees tricks about animating human characters.

      To help make the session interactive, Leeper also recruited current CMU students to help plan and teach the session.

      “They’re learning and leading and teaching – it's a nice combination,” Leeper said.

      Other faculty members from the College of the Arts and Media taught sessions on screenwriting, editing, audio and copyright law.

      This unique opportunity allowed high school students to get hands-on experience working with different elements of film.

      “Once you do it a little bit, you have a better idea of what’s out there in this whole world of opportunity,” said Patty Williamson, broadcast and cinematic arts faculty member and director of the film festival.

      Written by University Communications intern Angelica Elizalde.

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      Questions?

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