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.

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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.

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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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CMU to introduce new 100% digital parking permit system

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Central Michigan University will introduce a new online self-service parking portal and permit-by-plate system for fall of 2022.

The new system will eliminate the need for physical parking permits and instead use license plate recognition software. This will allow individuals to use their vehicle license plate as their parking permit. Parking Services vehicles equipped with LPR technology will read license plates to verify permit status. If a scanned license plate number is not associated with a valid permit or is not being used correctly, parking enforcement will investigate and potentially issue a citation.

The switch from physical decals to permit by plate will bring several positive changes to the parking experience at CMU. With LPR technology offering immediate 24/7 permit access, it will alleviate start-of-semester stress by no longer requiring individuals to wait for permits to arrive in the mail, pick up permits at the parking services office, or risk losing physical permits. Individuals who need to transfer permits or request guest parking permits will be able to easily do so online, allowing for immediate permit access.

The move towards LPR and permit-by-plate will positively impact CMU’s campus sustainability efforts and safety initiatives. The new system will eliminate the need for plastic permit production and the delivery and disposal of unused and expired permits, thus reducing fossil fuel use and carbon emissions. The shift also will result in annual operational cost savings of more than $70,000.

In addition, the new system will improve campus safety through a partnership that allows CMU Police to identify stolen vehicles or vehicles that may have been involved in a crime via the LPR system.

A valid CMU permit will still be required to park on campus and there will be no changes to current lot classifications. Individuals parking on campus will need to ensure their license plate information is up to date in their CMU parking account. The LPR system also requires users to park so their license plate is visible from the drive aisle. Backing in or pulling through a parking space will not be permitted unless the vehicle has a front license plate. Non-visible plates will result in a parking citation.

Testing of the new system will begin during the spring 2022 semester, and additional details will be announced this summer ahead of the expected launch in August 2022.