Start up
Build up your venture idea.
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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.
Two days that make lifelong changes
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Laila Lloyd came to Central Michigan University at a challenging time for an introvert. It was 2021. In-person events were taking place, but lots of things still happened online. Then, IMPACT helped break her out of her shell.
IMPACT takes place over two days before Fall semester classes officially start. New students from marginalized communities are paired with mentors to help them get acquainted with the CMU community and the university’s campus.
Lloyd connected with the program’s community-building aspect. She drew inspiration from the experience. It taught her to look at herself differently.
“I realized that I had the ability to connect with others on a deeper level and be a leader,” Lloyd said.
She also realized she possessed the personality and skills to provide mentorship. Everything she learned gelled the second year she was a mentor.
“Junior year was transformative,” she said. It was her best IMPACT yet.
IMPACT’s programming might take place over two days, but the relationships are lasting. Lloyd checked in on her students throughout both years, she said, ensuring they stayed on the path to success.
“I kept in touch with my mentees because their growth was important to me,” she said. Some were introverts like her, and she said she felt gratified watching them spread their wings.
They’re active on campus. Some mentees are involved in the student organization Lloyd founded with her roommate, Lloyd said. Some of them have followed her into mentorship roles with IMPACT.
Lloyd has a new IMPACT-related challenge this year. Now in her senior year, she is part of the event’s core staff. She was tempted to do a third year of mentoring but was encouraged to apply to help organize the event instead. She again pushed out of her comfort zone.
She’s attended Fire Up Fridays and spoken in front of groups larger than 100 people. She also works information tables, answering questions and sharing her IMPACT experiences.
Pushing herself hasn’t just helped her develop new skills. It’s filled her with the confidence to meet new challenges.
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.
