Founder and chief shoe giver, Toms
Age: 35
Industry: Apparel
In 2006, Mycoskie, a serial entrepreneur from Arlington, Texas, was on a trip in South America, where he both witnessed children in poverty and discovered the alpargata, a unique rope-soled shoe worn by Argentine farmers. He returned to the U.S. with a duffel bag full of the shoes and an idea: Toms Shoes would donate a pair of the shoes to a child in need for every pair it sells. Five years later he's sold 2 million pairs through 1,000 stores, including Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, in 30 countries around the world -- and the shoes have become hipster uniform.
Latest act: A new line of eyewear -- and a bestselling book.
NEXT: Carolyn Everson
