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.

Learn more

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.

Learn more

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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Trustees to consider new Ph.D. in physics

by Vivek Rawat

The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees will meet June 26 and 27.

The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees will consider a new doctoral degree in physics when it meets in formal session at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

The new research-intensive program will equip students with professional scientific training in specific subfields of physics, including condensed matter physics, nuclear physics and astrophysics. It will complement Central's Master of Science in Physics and Science of Advanced Materials Ph.D. programs.

At its formal session, trustees also will consider approval of:

A nearly $462 million 2019-2020 operating budget.
An agreement extending Central's relationship with and support of the CMU Research Corp.
Establishment of a long-term affiliation and medical education agreement with Covenant HealthCare.

The formal session, as well as the committee meetings on Wednesday listed below, are open to the university community and general public. Public comment will be allowed at Thursday's formal session.

Along with reviewing several items that will be on Thursday's formal agenda, highlights of the committee meetings include:

Policy and Bylaws — 12:40 to 12:55 p.m. —Traffic ordinance amendments approved as part of the 2019-2020 campus map will be discussed.
Enterprise Risk — 1 to 1:50 p.m. — Presentations on institutional and program accreditation and specialized accreditations; efforts related to student alcohol, drug and mental health, behavioral issues, and disability accommodations; and emergency management and communications.
Academic and Student Affairs – 2 to 2:50 p.m. — Update on enrollment activities for fall 2019 and ongoing efforts to increase enrollment and retention from Steven Johnson, vice president for enrollment and student services; presentation on the Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support; and discussion of academic programs of excellence.
Finance and Facilities — 3 to 3:50 p.m. — Update on summer construction will be presented by Jonathan Webb, associate vice president for facilities management, and a presentation on a proposed food lab remodel project.

The trustees-faculty and trustees-student liaison committees do not meet in June.

All meetings are in the President's Conference Room of the Bovee University Center; public seating is in the adjoining Lake Superior Room.

The agendas for the June meetings are available on the Board of Trustees' website.