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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New employee solutions focused on employee wellness and healthcare management

by Logan Pellegrom

Health Advocate, Central Michigan University’s new employee wellness program administrator, launches on Friday, July 1. Health Advocate replaces Virgin Pulse as CMU’s wellness program administrator and is available to staff, fixed-term and medical faculty, and post-doctoral research fellows.

Health Advocate includes improvements from the previous system in areas identified by the university’s health care committee. These areas include re-engaging employees in the CMU Wellness Program, mental health, offering health and wellness coaching with a focus on condition management, and simplifying access to benefits. Health Advocate offers solutions to these areas, as well as providing many other improvements, according to the health care committee.

New solutions and individual programs include:

New Wellness Coaching along with workshops, nutrition support, challenges and trackers designed to improve mental health.
Healthy rewards to earn cash prizes up to $400 each year for well-being activities.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) & Work/Life Support offering unlimited text support with counselors and skill builder courses. This program replaces Encompass and is available for all staff and faculty employees.
New Health Cost Estimator+, which shows the cost of a covered item or service before receiving care, enhancing the ability to shop for the healthcare that best meets an individual’s needs.
New Engagement 360, which includes original services for CMU employees including help securing second opinions, medical decision support, help to resolve claims and billing issues and more.

Along with the addition of many new offerings, Health Advocate will also consolidate many wellness offerings – improving system operations and user experience.
Eligible employees can register for the program now through the CMU Health Advocate webpage. New hires who have not yet activated a global ID can contact Health Advocate by phone at 866-799-2691or email to inquire about insurance options available through CMU.
Additionally, the Benefits & Wellness team is hosting a webinar at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12 to walk through the Health Advocate site and conduct a Q&A session. Attendees are asked to register for the webinar in advance.