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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Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center to host town hall on Michigan Voting Safeguards

by Symantha Dattilo

On September 21, 2024, CMU will host an important Town Hall and Question & Answer event focusing on voting rights and election integrity. Organized by the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center in partnership with the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of State, the event will feature Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Michigan Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie. The discussion will highlight the steps Michigan is taking across the state to ensure a free and fair election this November.

The event will be held in the Bovee University Center's third-floor auditorium, with doors opening at 11:30 a.m. and the program beginning at 12:00 p.m. The event is scheduled to conclude at 1:30 p.m., with time afterward for attendees to take photos with the speakers. Students, faculty, staff, and community members are all invited to attend.

Minde Lux, county clerk of Isabella County, will open the event with a welcome address. In her role overseeing local elections, Lux will highlight the importance of civic participation.

After remarks from AG Nessel and Deputy SOS Edevbie, the event will feature a panel discussion with both speakers moderated by Dr. Norma Bailey, a retired faculty member from CMU and co-chair of the CMU Voter Coalition. Carson Cooley, president of the Central Votes registered student organization, and Dr. Ed Hinck, a communication professor, will participate in the panel. All will share their perspectives on the importance of civic engagement, how efforts are being made to encourage voter turnout, and answer questions from the audience.

Symantha Dattilo, interim director of the Volunteer Center, helped to organize the event. "This event is designed to foster an informative and respectful dialogue on how elections are managed in Michigan," Dattilo said. "It's my hope that audience members will leave feeling confident in casting their ballots in November. "

This event highlights the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center's commitment to promoting civic engagement on campus. By providing a platform for discussion between students, faculty, community members, and government officials, the Volunteer Center continues its mission to encourage informed and active participation in the democratic process.

To learn more about the November election and to register to vote, visit Michigan.gov/vote.