June 2016

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 16, 2016 — The Santa Clara University (SCU) Leavey School of Business has received an additional $7.5 million donation from Phil and Peggy Holland for the support and expansion of the free, global, small-business-training website My Own Business Institute, or MOBI.

This gift brings to $17.5 million the amount the Hollands have donated to foster worldwide small-business creation and economic independence for millions of people, through the site the couple created 16 years ago and donated to SCU in 2014. A celebration of thanks to the Hollands will take place this evening, June 16, at the California Club in Los Angeles.

The free, comprehensive, and graded online courses are now part of the My Own Business Institute at Santa Clara University. The courses, which are also available in Spanish, are used by an average of 65,000 people per month in more than 100 countries. Fifteen percent of MOBI users live in Africa, and 20 percent are from Asia.

“MOBI is a tremendous tool for helping communities create economic opportunity for people who need it the most,” said S. Andrew Starbird, the director of MOBI. “We are inspired daily by how MOBI is changing lives by helping aspiring entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground.“

Numerous organizations in the U.S. and around the world use MOBI’s curriculum to accelerate small-business creation, including the following:

• The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, which provides MOBI curriculum as part of its SME Toolkit, an online resource for small and medium enterprises around the world.
• St. Aloysius College in India, which uses MOBI as part of its MBA curriculum, and where during the past two years, more than 250 students have completed MOBI certificates.
• Dozens of schools, colleges, universities, and workforce development agencies, which use MOBI’s free curriculum to train students and clients on how to start their own businesses.

In addition, Santa Clara University utilizes the MOBI curriculum to help aspiring entrepreneurs through two existing Santa Clara programs: the California Program for Entrepreneurship (CAPE), an accelerator that provides training and mentoring to more than 40 California entrepreneurs each year, and the Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative, which provides support for small businesses in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods near the University.

A video describing the history of MOBI is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej_G-N6djdY.

“We have been extremely pleased with how Santa Clara University has embraced and expanded MOBI,” said Phil Holland, prolific entrepreneur, author, and founder of the Yum Yum Donut store chain. “SCU clearly shares our commitment to start businesses and create jobs for people all over the world.”

About the Hollands

Phil Holland is a lifelong entrepreneur. His businesses have included building "spec" houses, the manufacture of automatic doughnut machinery, designing and building apartments, restaurant franchising, doughnut retailing, and the development and management of shopping centers. He founded Yum Yum Donut Shops in 1970 with $5,000 and guided it from a one-shop operation to become the largest chain of privately owned donut shops in the United States. He received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California.

The original MOBI course curriculum was based on two books he wrote, How to Start a Business and The Entrepreneur’s Guide.

Peggy Holland served the Los Angeles Unified School District for more than 20 years as a teacher, administrator, and principal. She earned her B.A. in education from Mankato State College and received her M.A. in administration and supervision from California State University, Northridge. She helped develop the original course to teach people how to start their own businesses and to support the return of a vibrant, healthy community.

About the Leavey School of Business
The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1923, and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. Its undergraduate business, MBA, and Executive MBA programs are consistently ranked among the top in the nation by BusinessWeek, U.S. News, Princeton Review, and others. The curriculum at all levels emphasizes the leadership role of business in creating prosperity within an ethical framework, as well as business responsibilities for social justice and sustainability in the global marketplace. For more information, see www.scu.edu/business/

Media Contact
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Relations | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121