We recently connected with Sarah Ellenbogen and have shared our conversation below.
Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your lessons with our community today. So, let’s jump right in – one of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. Where does your self-discipline come from?
My self-discipline has deep roots in my days as a competitive swimmer. Training at a high level meant early mornings, long hours in the pool, and a regimented schedule that I balanced alongside a rigorous academic load at an elite high school. Adding to that, I was involved in extracurriculars like school plays, which forced me to prioritize and organize every minute of my day. This intense period built a foundation of resilience and focus that’s been essential in both my personal and professional life, particularly as a founder and mother of three young children.
Most people are stunned to hear that I’m a mom of three and a startup founder. Sometimes, I share that disbelief—juggling the needs of young kids with the demands of entrepreneurship can feel daunting. But these roles have only deepened my discipline. Being a mother of three has reinforced my ability to stay calm under pressure, manage limited time, and prioritize what truly matters. Just as in swimming, where perseverance and preparation led to performance, the daily routines and unexpected challenges of parenthood have kept me sharp, resilient, and driven.
This discipline translates directly into my work as a founder, where I rely on those foundational habits of focus, time management, and adaptability. My early training and experience in juggling high-stakes goals have prepared me to navigate the challenges of leading a business while raising a family. Discipline is no longer just a skill; it’s a way of life that empowers me to pursue my ambitions without compromise.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m Sarah Ellenbogen, Co-founder and CEO of Digiphy, a fast-growing venture-backed startup redefining brand-consumer engagement. After 14 years at Google and YouTube leading mobile and video advertising partnerships, I saw the challenges brands face engaging consumers directly—this led me to create Digiphy.
Digiphy transforms every product and marketing asset into an interactive, always-on conversion channel. With our recent acquisition of PlentiAI, a rebates and AI SMS chat platform, we extend consumer engagement beyond initial data capture to ongoing, personalized interactions. Brands can now create customized physical and digital user flows tailored to consumer needs, driving purchases and capturing rich first-party consumer data and feedback seamlessly across every consumer touchpoint – products/packaging, digital ads, in-store assets, OOH/TV ads, inserts, etc. Enriched consumer engagement enables companies to offer dynamic and contextual experiences at every moment of the consumer’s journey, sharing essential information—such as product benefits and information, set-up guides, origin & traceability, ingredients, and more.
In a landscape where consumers demand transparency and connection, Digiphy turns every product and moment into a dynamic, conversion-optimized “digital salesperson.” By bridging attribution gaps, we help brands collect valuable data, drive sales, and build lasting trust with consumers—delivering meaningful connections, a win-win for companies and consumers.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Reflecting on my journey, three qualities stand out as particularly impactful: resilience, adaptability, and strategic vision. My experience leading partnerships at a top tech company taught me the importance of resilience in navigating change, and adaptability when moving from structured environments to the dynamic startup world. After 14 years at Google, I saw them grow from scrappy upstarts to careful giants. While I prided myself on moving quickly, by the end of my time in Big Tech, “fast” often meant moving with months or years of deliberation and broad organizational buy-in.
When I left Big Tech to found Digiphy, I thought I was prepared, but the reality of startup life pushed me further than expected. In a startup, “move fast” means making quick, decisive choices on limited data, often requiring us to pivot on strategy in weeks, not months. I’ve learned that sometimes 80% is the new 100%—getting something to market quickly to test and iterate. This mentality shift has been crucial in a high-stakes environment with tight timelines and limited resources.
Startups also require a unique type of relationship-building. Hiring goes beyond skill and fit; it’s about finding team members who can hustle, tolerate imperfections, and keep pace with rapid change. Some of my early hires struggled with the demands of this fast-paced environment, and I had to make the difficult choice to part ways with them. The startup world values output and immediacy over legacy, and that’s been a significant adjustment.
For those early in their journey, I’d recommend embracing challenges as growth opportunities to build resilience, honing adaptability by learning to thrive in change, and cultivating a strategic mindset to see both the bigger picture and the need for fast execution. Startups are dynamic and intense, but they offer unparalleled growth, innovation, and impact. If you’re considering this path, be prepared to trade certainty for opportunity and discover just how much you can accomplish—even if it’s only 80% of what you originally aimed for.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m always looking to partner with forward-thinking brands eager to deepen consumer engagement and drive conversions. These are retailers and consumer products companies. They’re CPG, fashion, beauty/cosmetics companies, healthcare, and beyond. Any company that wants to connect directly with consumers to build stronger relationships and boost consumer action- purchase, subscribe, opt-in, share, watch, etc.
We are looking to partner with companies that want to engage with their consumers in traditionally hard to reach places like in-stores and at home, to capture consumer data, increase sales, and build lasting loyalty. The type of company could our help across marketing, compliance, growth, or packaging communication. They want a direct channel to connect with consumers to share real-time information whether it’s from a scan on a product package or marketing asset, a click on a digital ad, or an SMS chat connection.
If you’re a brand or retailer focused on building strong, interactive connections with consumers and see the value in transforming physical and digital products into dynamic, conversion-optimized experiences, I’d love to connect. Are you a product company running digital/social ads and looking to boost in-store sales, lower CAC to increase ROI? We can help you! Reach out, and let’s explore how we can drive impactful engagement and maximize conversions, at every moment in your consumer journey!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.digiphy.it
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digiphy.it/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahellenbogen/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Digiphy_it
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Digiphy-it
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digiphyit – Digiphy Linkedin
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