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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.
Celebrating excellence in SAP: Dow awards students for advanced achievements
by
Alisha Toyzan
On Dec. 6, the Central Michigan University College of Business Administration hosted its biannual Dow SAP Award of Excellence luncheon at Bucks Run, bringing together faculty, staff, Dow employees, and award-winning students and their families.
The Dow SAP Award of Excellence recognizes students who demonstrate advanced expertise in SAP, a leading enterprise resource planning software. Each semester, students are selected by a panel of faculty and Dow employees based on exceptional projects completed in configuration and ABAP software courses. Winners receive a $750 scholarship in acknowledgment of their achievement.
Since its inception, the award has celebrated the accomplishments of more than 150 students across 49 semesters. This fall, the honorees included:
- B M Taslimul Haque
- Leela Chiranjeevi Kattunga
- Krishnarjun Annem
The awards were presented by Joseph Cronkright, Dow’s sustainability IT director, who commended the recipients for their dedication and excellence.
“Twenty-eight years ago, CMU and Dow came together to create the SAP University Alliance program within the College of Business and the Dow SAP Award of Excellence – with Dow donating not only time, but money and resources,” said faculty member Vishal Shah. “Now, we’ve grown into many areas beyond information systems, bringing in students from accounting, supply chain, and more. The idea was to expose our students to business processes—through coursework and innovative thinking.”
The award spotlights the enduring partnership between CMU and Dow, reinforcing their shared commitment to preparing students with career-ready skills and advanced knowledge in technology and business processes.
Students interested in the Dow SAP Award of Excellence and currently enrolled in BIS 458/658 or BIS 457/657 are encouraged to reach out to Vishal Shah at shah3v@cmich.edu or Stephen Tracy at tracy1sl@cmich.edu for more information.
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.
