Don Charlton spent the Great Recession doing something strange: hiring.

A graduate of the second class at AlphaLab, a 5-year-old, 20-week program that helps accelerate the growth of start-ups, Charlton grew his software company from 35 customers to 2,000 in four of the toughest years the U.S. economy has seen in decades. Last year, The Resumator, software that helps companies recruit and hire, was used by the campaigns of both President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney, as well as Major League Baseball.

During that span, state funding for the Ben Franklin Technology Partners — the parent of AlphaLab and similar organizations around the state — fell by more than half. Gov. Tom Corbett and leaders in the General Assembly said on Thursday during a visit to AlphaLab that they’ve found a way to reverse those cuts.

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