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 reflect on a year of the pandemic

by Sanjna Jassi

The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees will hear a presentation reflecting on the past year of the pandemic's impact on the university when it meets virtually April 21 and 22.

The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees will hear a presentation reflecting on the past year of the pandemic's impact on the university when it meets virtually Thursday at 10 a.m.

The presentation by university leadership will focus on how the university community has adjusted and persevered since COVID-19 took hold in early 2020, forcing a major shift in how we live, learn and work.

Also on the agenda for Thursday's formal session, which is open to the university community and general public virtually via this link, is the approval of nearly 2,800 May graduates.

Wednesday's committee meetings also are open to the university community and general public virtually via this link. Along with reviewing several items that will be on Thursday's formal agenda, highlights of the committee meetings Wednesday include:

Academic and Student Affairs — 2-3 p.m. — Provost Mary C. Schutten will update the committee on academic prioritization and Jennifer DeHaemers, vice president for student recruitment and retention, will provide an update on enrollment and student success efforts. Tony Voisin, associate vice president for student affairs, also will discuss the pandemic's impact on mental health within the campus community.
Finance and Facilities — 3:15-4:15 p.m. — The committee will review and discuss the fiscal year 2020-21 financial update and stimulus funding. They also will receive updates on the capital planning process, budget planning and campus construction.
Trustees-Faculty Liaison — 4:30-6 p.m. — Committee members will discuss the curricular process at CMU and receive a presentation on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Faculty Advocates Program from Veronica Barone, faculty in physics, and Andy Blom, faculty in philosophy and religion.

In accordance with the Board of Trustees bylaws, public comment will be allowed for Thursday's formal session by submitting a request online; comments must be provided in advance to be read at the meeting. Given the virtual meeting, public comment will not be delivered in person for this meeting.

The agendas for Wednesday's committee meetings and Thursday's formal session are available on the Board of Trustees website.