Start up
Build up your venture idea.
Learn more
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.
Meet Kylie Sczepanski
by
Bree Ring
Out of the 45 scholarships available to support students in the School of Communication, Journalism, and Media, three of them were named in honor of this year’s Media Hall of Fame inductees or their family members. CMU senior Kylie Sczepanski is in her second year of a two-year award from the Susan Rozman Delia Memorial Scholarship, established in 2003 by Rozman’s fellow alumni and friends following her passing.
Sczepanski, a native of Midland, Michigan, moved to San Antonio, Texas in high school but came back to Michigan to attend CMU because of its renowned Broadcast and Cinematic Arts program.
“I studied journalism in high school and fell in love with it,” said Sczepanski. “My mom was a first-generation CMU student, and I learned about the school from her. It seemed like the perfect place.”
Preference for this scholarship award is given for a student who demonstrates leadership ability in media arts co-curriculars, plans to intern, and has an interest in pursuing an electronic media career. Sczepanski completed her first internship in 2023 at WCMU and Midland Daily News. This past summer she interned at WNEM TV 5 in Saginaw and wrote stories for their website. Currently, she serves as station manager for WMHW, executive producer for MHTV, and as anchor/producer for News Central 34. She’s just getting started.
Szcepanski may go on to pursue a master’s degree at CMU or head straight into work as a multimedia journalist. She is grateful for the two-year scholarship she received.
“It makes me feel really blessed. I see Sue Rozman Delia as a big inspiration. It so incredible that she held such a high position in the broadcast industry, and I’m inspired by her leadership abilities,” she said.
For more information about the Susan Rozman Delia Memorial Scholarship and other opportunities, visit School of Communication, Journalism, and Media Scholarships.
Sczepanski, a native of Midland, Michigan, moved to San Antonio, Texas in high school but came back to Michigan to attend CMU because of its renowned Broadcast and Cinematic Arts program.
“I studied journalism in high school and fell in love with it,” said Sczepanski. “My mom was a first-generation CMU student, and I learned about the school from her. It seemed like the perfect place.”
Preference for this scholarship award is given for a student who demonstrates leadership ability in media arts co-curriculars, plans to intern, and has an interest in pursuing an electronic media career. Sczepanski completed her first internship in 2023 at WCMU and Midland Daily News. This past summer she interned at WNEM TV 5 in Saginaw and wrote stories for their website. Currently, she serves as station manager for WMHW, executive producer for MHTV, and as anchor/producer for News Central 34. She’s just getting started.
Szcepanski may go on to pursue a master’s degree at CMU or head straight into work as a multimedia journalist. She is grateful for the two-year scholarship she received.“It makes me feel really blessed. I see Sue Rozman Delia as a big inspiration. It so incredible that she held such a high position in the broadcast industry, and I’m inspired by her leadership abilities,” she said.
For more information about the Susan Rozman Delia Memorial Scholarship and other opportunities, visit School of Communication, Journalism, and Media Scholarships.
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.
