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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.
Movement beyond borders
by
Sanjna Jassi
Japanese dance company Masashi Action Machine recently hosted a weeklong workshop for Central Michigan University dance students.
What do you get when you combine gymnastics, jazz, ballet, karate, kendo and judo?
It may sound like a riddle, but it looks like power and grace in motion.
It’s Masashi Action Machine, a Japanese dance company who recently hosted a weeklong workshop for Central Michigan University dance students.
Artistic Director Kumiko Sakamoto co-founded the group with choreographer and principal dancer Masashi Mishiro in 1990 in Nagoya, Japan.
Both had studied in New York City with American jazz dance legend Frank Hatchett in 1981 and absorbed American influences for inspiration, according to the Masashi website.
“This was an opportunity for students to learn about a style of dance that they had never been exposed to in their previous dance studies,” said Heather Trommer-Beardslee, dance program coordinator and artistic director, University Theatre Dance Company. “We are now exploring the possibility of taking CMU students to Japan to perform with Masashi Action Machine in Nagoya.”
The company is known for its acrobatic movement and the combination of American and Japanese dance styles.
“Being a part of the residency was a fun, wonderful experience,” said Jazmine Banks, a junior and dance minor. “Not only did we learn their technique but about Japanese culture as well. The three guest artists were amazing people.
“Many of us didn't know what to expect, and I know some of us were nervous, thinking we wouldn't be able to execute some of the movement, but they constantly pushed and motivated us. They increased our confidence and we became a little family in the short period we had.”
CMU's theatre, interpretation and dance department hosted the weeklong residency, funded by the College of the Arts and Media.
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.
