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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.
College of Medicine hosts White Coat Ceremony for Class of 2028
by
Kelly Belcher
The CMU College of Medicine welcomed its 12th cohort of students with a formal White Coat Ceremony on August 9, 2024. Selected from more than 8,000 applicants, the Class of 2028 is comprised of just over 100 students. Among them are 82 Michigan residents; six of whom received undergraduate degrees from CMU. These future physicians officially began their medical education by accepting their coats and making a commitment to compassionate care by reciting the Declaration of Geneva.
The Ceremony’s keynote speaker was Dr. Jacob S. Ghannam, Jr, a CMU College of Medicine alum who graduated in 2019. Dr. Ghannam completed his residency training in diagnostic radiology at Corewell Health William Beaumont University where he was named Chief Diagnostic Radiology Resident Physician. Currently, he is working as a clinical instructor in abdominal imaging and intervention at the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor.
Dr. Ghannam advised the students “learning is a lifelong process; every experience, every patient and every mentor can teach you something new.” He urged them to find balance amid the challenges and joys of their medical journey. “When you look back you will see a person who has grown both professionally as well as personally; a person who has made significant contributions to your field of medicine and also impacted the lives of many patients on a deeper level, so embrace the challenges, cherish the joys and don’t forget to laugh along the way.”
Dr. Arnold P. Gold at Columbia University initiated the White Coat Ceremony in 1993. Gold was a professor, pediatric neurologist, and passionate advocate for humanistic health care. He believed the oath taken by new physicians at the end of medical school came too late. Through the nonprofit organization he and his wife, Dr. Sandra Gold, started, The Arnold P. Gold Foundation has expanded the White Coat Ceremony around the globe. Now, nearly every medical school in the United States participates in this traditional ceremony.
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.
