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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.

      Intelligent.com ranks CMU programs among nation’s best

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      Central Michigan University has been recognized by Intelligent.com’s 2025 college rankings as having the nation’s Best Self-Paced Online College and the Best Online Bachelor’s in Mental Health Counseling Degree Program in the country.

      CMU’s two top national rankings headline a list of eight honors in the top 10:

      “We are honored to be recognized by Intelligent.com for our commitment to providing high-quality, flexible, and accessible online education,” said Kaleb Patrick, interim vice president for Innovation and Online. “This ranking reflects the dedication of our faculty and investment in our online support services to ensure that students, regardless of their locations, can advance their education and achieve their goals through CMU Online. As we continue to innovate and enhance the online learning experience, we remain focused on supporting our students every step of the way.”

      11 additional CMU programs garnered top 50 recognition from Intelligent.com including:

      Intelligent.com evaluates programs across a broad range of criteria, including academic quality, graduation rates, cost and return on investment, and student resources. Each program was scored on a proprietary scale of 0 to 100, drawing on trusted sources like the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard, U.S. News & World Report, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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      Questions?

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