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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Central Michigan University to start, end fall semester early

by Sanjay Gupta

CMU will begin and end the fall 2020 semester early in an effort to reduce the risk of community spread of COVID-19 and influenza.

Central Michigan University President Bob Davies announced today the decision to begin and end the fall 2020 semester early in an effort to reduce the risk of community spread of COVID-19 and influenza.

The new schedule moves the first day of classes to Aug. 17 — two weeks earlier than previously scheduled — and concludes classes Nov. 25.

"By moving up the start and conclusion of our fall semester, we seek to significantly reduce the number of students, faculty and staff returning to and from campus for the Thanksgiving holiday and through December," Davies said. "This reduces the likelihood of potential spread of infectious diseases like the flu and COVID-19 on our campus and in our community."

In addition, the new schedule avoids peak flu season and a possible resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the colder winter months, as suggested by some health experts.

A phased move-in for residence halls and on-campus apartments will begin Aug. 13. Students will move back in waves to allow for maximum social distancing.

Fall events such as homecoming and commencement also are being reviewed, and dates and details are likely to change.

CMU Provost Mary C. Schutten said a new model for class delivery will assist students who may struggle to move back to Mount Pleasant early, as well as help to ensure social distancing.

"We have implemented hybrid-flexible, or HyFlex, which provides students the option to attend classes face-to-face or online in a synchronous model, or both, to ensure less density in the classroom," she said.

Davies said CMU leadership also is reviewing the spring 2021 schedule but has not yet made any modifications.

"Our plans are aligned with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's phased plan for reopening the state of Michigan and incorporate public health guidance from both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and our state and local health departments. Central Michigan University will continue to adhere to this guidance closely," he said.

"We are thrilled to have our students returning to Mount Pleasant for the fall semester, and we will ensure we do it as safely as possible."

More information on changes to the fall schedule can be found on the Fall Semester Schedule Q&A.