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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Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy upholds protections, support

by Sanjay Gupta

CMU’s updated Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy complies with recent changes to Title IX, the federal civil rights law that protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs.

Central Michigan University has updated its Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy to comply with recent U.S. Department of Education changes to Title IX, the federal civil rights law that protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs.

"Our core values of education, prevention and a commitment to keeping the university safe have not changed and will not change," said Mary Martinez, CMU Title IX coordinator and interim executive director of the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity. "As we reviewed the new Title IX rules, we kept what is best for the CMU community in the front of our minds while ensuring we continued to comply with the law."

The new federal regulations limit the type of complaints that colleges are required to investigate under Title IX, but Martinez said all types of sexual and gender-based misconduct that were prohibited at CMU before the new federal rules took effect remain prohibited now and in the future.

That includes dating violence, domestic or intimate partner violence, gender-based harassment, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, stalking, retaliation and other misconduct based on an individual's sex, gender or gender identity.

A Frequently Asked Question on OCRIE's website covers the updated Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Policy. Some of the key points:

CMU has always used and continues to use the preponderance of the evidence as the standard to determine whether there was a policy violation.

CMU continues to offer supportive measures to all parties involved, whether or not a formal complaint is filed. Supportive measures may include but are not limited to changing CMU housing assignments; providing a public safety escort on campus; changing academic assignments or schedule, including the ability to take an "incomplete," drop a course without penalty or transfer sections (with faculty agreement); changing work schedules or job assignments; referral for support services such as tutoring or counseling; and instituting a mutual no-contact order.

CMU continues to prohibit sexual and gender-based misconduct not only on campus but off-campus and in Study Abroad programs.

CMU will provide all necessary training of CMU personnel involved in new grievance procedures.

Martinez said all reports are fully investigated to the extent possible.

"CMU remains committed to providing resources and supportive measures for those impacted by sexual and gender-based misconduct," she said.