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Key people at Academy for Creating Enterprise.
The Academy for Creating Enterprise is a Provo, Utah-based nonprofit organization that provides entrepreneurship training, financial literacy programs, and peer mentorship to micro-entrepreneurs in developing regions. Operating across more than 15 countries through a recently launched digital learning management system, the philanthropic entity supports a growing network of over 133,000 members and manages 671 alumni chapters led by 1,900 local volunteers. The organization primarily serves faith-driven individuals in nations such as the Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, and Peru, helping them launch sustainable small businesses to achieve financial self-reliance. The nonprofit's leadership and board include commercial real estate executives such as Tanner Milne and Rich Andrus, alongside its founder who previously backed notable technology companies like 1-800-Contacts, Omniture, and Ancestry.com. The Academy for Creating Enterprise was founded in 1999 by Stephen W. Gibson and Bette Gibson.
Key people at Academy for Creating Enterprise.
The Academy for Creating Enterprise (ACE) is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to igniting the entrepreneurial mindset in faith-driven people through free business training, mentorship, and ongoing support, enabling sustainable self-reliance and poverty alleviation in developing nations.[1][2][3] It targets "necessity entrepreneurs" in regions like Latin America, West Africa, and Southeast Asia, providing practical skills in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and business scaling; key impacts include 34,378 new businesses created in the past three years, 147,793 total graduates, 81% improved quality of life, 84% increased personal income, and 88% heightened commitment to community service.[2][3]
ACE's phased program—START NOW (initial income activities), GROW NOW (monthly chapter meetings), EXPAND NOW (business growth), and GIVE NOW (mentoring others)—fosters long-term accountability and expansion, with 72% of graduates launching and sustaining businesses.[1][2][3] In 2025, it launched a state-of-the-art learning management system for anytime-accessible training, alongside industry-specific resources.[1]
Founded in 1999 by Steve Gibson with a single school in the Philippines to teach entrepreneurship to low-income individuals, ACE has grown over 26 years into a global movement operating in 16 countries across three continents.[1][3][4] Steve Gibson initiated the effort to break cycles of generational poverty through business skills training.[3][7]
Robert Heyn, raised in Bogotá, Colombia, with a tech career, BYU MBA, experience at Utah's Suazo Center, and a mission in Mexico, joined Gibson as Executive Director (formerly CEO) to scale operations; under his leadership, ACE expanded from two countries (Mexico and Philippines) to 16.[3] Pivotal moments include training over 150,000-147,793 entrepreneurs, establishing local "chapters" for ongoing peer accountability, and the 2025 launch of digital tools amid rising global need for self-reliance amid job insecurity.[1][2][3]
ACE rides the global rise of edtech and digital inclusion trends, using its 2025 learning management system to democratize entrepreneurship education in low-connectivity regions, aligning with forces like job insecurity, post-pandemic necessity entrepreneurship, and faith-based development aid.[1][2][3] Timing is ideal amid economic pressures in Latin America, West Africa, and Southeast Asia, where informal economies dominate and formal jobs are scarce; market forces like mobile tech penetration and donor interest in measurable poverty impact favor its model.[3]
It influences the ecosystem by creating "ripples of prosperity"—alumni businesses strengthen families/communities, with graduates mentoring newcomers, fostering localized startup cultures without VC dependency; this complements tech hubs by building grassroots human capital for sustainable development.[1][2]
ACE is poised for exponential growth via digital tools, targeting deeper penetration in existing 16 countries and new regions, with trends like AI-enhanced training and corporate partnerships amplifying reach.[1][3] Its influence may evolve from direct training to ecosystem builder, incubating scalable micro-enterprises that feed into larger supply chains. As global inequality persists, ACE's faith-rooted, data-backed self-reliance path positions it to empower millions more, transforming poverty cycles into enduring prosperity.
