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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.
Honoring King’s legacy at CMU
by
Sanjay Gupta
Central Michigan University faculty, staff and students will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a weeklong celebration.
More than 50 years after his "I Have a Dream" speech, the words and leadership of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. continue to inspire millions around the globe, including those at Central Michigan University.
For more than 20 years, CMU has honored the national MLK holiday — Monday, Jan. 21, this year — by uniting for a day of service and a weeklong series of celebration and reflection events
Nearly 800 people are expected to attend the annual CommUnity Peace Brunch in Finch Fieldhouse, where they will hear from CMU's Gospel Choir, finalists in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Contest, members of the Multicultural Academic Student Services staff and students from Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Cheryl Brown Henderson, the 2019 keynote speaker, is one of three daughters of the late Rev. Oliver L. Brown, who filed a lawsuit against his local board of education in 1950. The lawsuit, known as Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, was a landmark case in the civil rights movement: The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional.
Faculty, staff and students are invited to participate in the following events:
Monday, Jan. 21
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. CommUnity Peace Brunch: 9:30 a.m., Finch Fieldhouse.
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, hosted by the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center: noon, Bovee University Center.
- CommUnity Peace March and Vigil: 3 p.m., University Center.
Tuesday, Jan. 22
- Night of Reflection, hosted by The Motions and Collective Action for Cultural Unity: 7 p.m., University Center Auditorium.
Wednesday, Jan. 23
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. keynote speaker Cheryl Brown Henderson: 7 p.m., Staples Family Concert Hall, Music Building.
Thursday, Jan. 24
- Tunnel of Oppression, hosted by A Mile in Our Shoes 4- 8 p.m., University Center Maroon, Gold and Chippewa rooms.
Friday, Jan. 25
- Martin Luther King Jr. Charity Basketball Game: 6 p.m., Student Activity Center. Donations for the CMU Student Food Pantry will be accepted.
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.
