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"Rick's got the ability to throw himself against the wall again and again," says Currier, who is one of Marini's investors. "He's fearless." Plus, people like working for him. "It's a testament to Rick as a manager that so many former Tickle colleagues came onboard again," says Currier. Marini, for his part, talks about his employees like a coach, praising their individual strengths and celebrating their teamwork. "Everyone has equity in the company," he notes. "That's something I believe in strongly." Their high-tech office environment is set against exposed brick walls and filled with technology from the past—turntables and speakers, old cameras and musical instruments. Ping-pong and foosball tables take a serious beating during stress-busting game sessions, and big-screen TVs keep track of BranchOut's numbers with constant updates.

Last spring, when the company made some significant improvements to the site, those numbers skyrocketed from 30,000 users to more than a million—in a single week. And recently, Marini secured another $18 million in funding. The sports fanatic pulls out one of his favorite analogies: "Just like a champion athlete, you're going to be on some winning teams and some losing teams." He's planning on a big win this time around. Meanwhile, his own fitness regimen includes regular yoga sessions. Every Saturday morning, the cutting-edge, 21st-century entrepreneur with the nonstop work ethic rolls out his mat and devotes himself to an ancient ritual. He spends one hour chanting, posing, emptying his mind and—something he never does the rest of the week—sitting still. Then it's back to the marathon.

Tameria Lanier, 23, knows what it's like to be without a steady job. For three years, the single mother of two young boys lay awake at night worrying about how to feed her family. Some of those nights—the hardest ones—were spent in homeless shelters. She wanted to work, but she couldn't afford childcare. Today Lanier has a job she loves, working as a stitcher for a company that provides a good wage, health benefits, career training and—almost too good to be true—full-time childcare. She also has hope. She's motivated. And she has her pride back.

Lisa Nugent/UNH Photographic Services Darr Aley '88, left, and Tom Aley '88

That's the whole idea behind MoJo, a company devoted, as its name suggests, to Moms and Jobs. More than 80 percent of the employees at this Lowell, Mass., factory, which produces apparel and accessories, are single mothers. And all of them feel they've been given a chance to get their lives back on track, one stitch at a time. Entrepreneurs—and identical twin brothers—Tom Aley '88 and Darr Aley '88 launched MoJo about two years ago, inspired by a single fact: 1.5 million children in the United States are homeless. "How is it," says Darr, "that we've been unable to solve what has become an institutionalized problem in our country?" They decided that what these kids needed was some sort of magical charm or spell (the original meaning of the word "mojo") to help change their lives.

The Aleys, who both have children of their own, learned that nearly 40 percent of child support in the United States is never paid, that about 27 percent of single mothers live under the poverty line and that mothers who lose their jobs wait up to three years for childcare subsidies. Suddenly, the answer seemed obvious: if single moms could get jobs, maybe the relentless cycle of homelessness among children could be broken.

While they may have been inspired by nonprofit motives, the Aleys chose a decidedly for-profit business model to power their vision, one that would use profits to fund their socially responsible idea. "But we had to figure out what we could sell," says Tom.

Software was what the brothers knew best—it was how they got their entrepreneurial feet wet and, ultimately, it was how they achieved their success. Both had started, or joined in the early stages, a number of different technology ventures, all of which were eventually acquired by bigger companies. Most recently, the two of them co-founded Generate, a software analytics firm acquired by Dow Jones in 2008. Today, along with MoJo, they are also launching Rapid Buyr.com, a private buying club often described as "Groupon for business buyers."

Lisa Nugent/UNH Photographic Services

But in the midst of all the success, another idea was taking hold. "We'd often get together and try to think of something that could be really cool, but have a social impact," says Darr. "When we had our lucky exit from Generate in 2008, we said, 'This is the time.'" Eventually, they landed on apparel as a product that people with few or no job skills could be trained to make. To produce its jackets and vests, hats and scarves, MoJo partnered with Polartec, famous for its recycled microfleece. "It's not about the jackets, though," Darr insists. "Our goal was something sustainable that could empower the moms, and then we'd have the potential to change the lives of these children."

It hasn't been easy. The risks of a socially responsible startup are not so different from their technology ventures. But the burden feels greater. "With a software company, if people get laid off, they can typically find another job," says Darr. "Failing at this effort means throwing people back into poverty."

Driven by their mission, the brothers are expanding the Lowell plant and opening a second site in Oakland, Calif., with Detroit and New Orleans in the works for next year. The company has signed on to produce apparel for some corporate customers, including Accenture, Morgan Stanley and Staples. They will also sell MoJo clothing at colleges, including UNH, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Pittsburgh, Syracuse University and Northeastern. MoJo has attracted celebrity attention, too, providing fleece blankets for the Dave Matthews Band, Faith Hill and other artists.

The fledgling company is sustained in part by the more than $1 million the family has invested, but also by the spirit that drives their efforts. The twins have always been a good team, according to younger sister Cara, MoJo's president and COO. "Tom thrives on coming up with new opportunities. Darr has a brilliant marketing mind. And they love ping-ponging ideas back and forth," she says. "Both are incredible strategic thinkers. Together they are a formidable force."

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