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WATCH UNDER Meet eight Wisconsin School of Business graduates making an impact on their industries BY JANE BURNS AND SIRI PAIRIN | PHOTOS BY PAUL L. NEWBY II
Sarah Van Caster (MBA ’13)
Sarah Van Caster (MBA ’13) loves working in the startup world. The Wisconsin native describes her day-to-day life with San Franciscobased company Anaplan as fastpaced, constantly evolving, and always interesting. “In the startup world, your job title is more or less irrelevant,” she says. “You come to work asking, ‘What is the task at hand and how do I deliver?’ It takes a certain type
of crazy to be willing to live in that kind of environment every day.” Van Caster completed her undergraduate degree at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and came to the Wisconsin School of Business to pursue her MBA in operations and technology management for what she describes as one of the best times of life. Her time at WSB allowed her to dive into the world of entrepreneurship, working with startups and incubators in Madison and Milwaukee. As the senior product marketing
08 | UW–Madison Wisconsin School of Business
manager, Van Caster leads all strategic marketing for Anaplan’s sales and marketing solutions. “In the tech world, there’s no ability to stay stagnant,” she says. “It’s very motivating to know that in order to progress in my career and excel at my job I need to continue to learn and evolve my skill set. “I love it because things are always changing,” she says. “It keeps you honest; it keeps you on your toes.” Van Caster continues to use the skills she learned at WSB in her career. She recalls a particular