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White House Recognizes Whitman Alumnus as a "Champion of Change"

Gogo at White HouseDr. Ashifi Gogo ’05 has received numerous awards since he founded Sproxil, a venture-backed enterprise providing brand protection in emerging markets. From The Clinton Initiative University to the Boston Business Journal, the innovative CEO has been recognized by the big names in business and philanthropy.

However, a trip to the White House tops all of Gogo’s awards.

The White House honored the former math and physics major as one of 11 people who are Immigrant Innovator “Champions of Change.”

“I had an amazing experience at the White House, surrounded by very impressive immigrant entrepreneurs who have also worked hard to create a notable number of premium American jobs,” Gogo said.

The White House event highlighted immigrant innovators and entrepreneurs – the best and brightest from around the world who are “doing extraordinary things in their communities to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world,” according to the White House website.

“Immigrants have long made America more prosperous and innovative, and the Champions we are celebrating today represent the very best in leadership, entrepreneurship, and public service,” said U.S. Chief Technology Officer Todd Park. “We are proud to recognize these leaders who work every day to grow our economy, advance science and technology and support their home communities.”

Sproxil is a social enterprise that empowers consumers in emerging markets with mobile technology to combat the $600 billion counterfeit goods industry. Gogo, who returned to Whitman this past winter for a conference on entrepreneurialism and the liberal arts, helped Sproxil develop its award-winning Mobile Product Authentication™ technology that has been used on over 100 million products by more than 2 million consumers to verify the authenticity of their medication.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton described Sproxil as “a genuinely remarkable achievement … [it's] empowering…putting people in charge of their own health care.”

Sproxil’s MPA solution is now used on worldwide to verify the authenticity of pharmaceutical products, automotive, garments and fast-moving consumer goods. 

Published on May 30, 2013
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