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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Fashion merchandising and design faculty member wins award to support study of knitwear

by Claire Doty

College of Education and Human Services faculty member, Dr. Su Kyoung An, has received the University of the Arts London (UAL) Summer Study Abroad ITAA Award for 2025. With this award, she will be studying knitwear design. Dr. An is currently a professor in the department of Fashion, Interior Design, and Merchandising, teaching classes such as Dress and Culture, Fashion Design Methods, and Apparel Product Development.

The UAL offers one Summer Study Abroad Award every year for a tuition-free, 3-week study aboard course. During this course, the recipient will study one of their world-renowned subjects, using London as inspiration for their research. Dr. An is thrilled to apply to the Experimental Fashion Knitwear Summer Program, where she can gain hands-on experience with the latest techniques and bring them back to CMU!

“In the last few years, I’ve heard from so many students who are eager for a knitwear course,” says Dr. An. “They recognize the creative and career opportunities in this area, and I’d love to be able to offer that to them.”

According to the Global Knitwear Market Report, knitwear has become one of the most versatile and popular areas in fashion and is expected to be valued at over $1600 billion by 2030, thanks to consumer demand for style, comfort, and versatility.

Dr. An adds, “for me, expanding into knitwear isn’t just about responding to market trends and student interest. It’s also a chance to push my own creative boundaries. Knitwear allows for innovation in texture, form, and sustainable designs that are so important in fashion today. By diving into the latest knitwear techniques, I’ll be able to evolve as an artist and bring new ideas to my students.”