‍Meet Sarah! 👋

Sarah Scharf is Product Marketing Lead on Vanta’s marketing team. She’s been at Vanta since November 2020.

Tell us about your role at Vanta.

I was the second marketer at Vanta, and I’ve done a little bit of everything. Key elements of my role involve developing the messaging and positioning for Vanta as a whole and for each product we offer. I recently led the revamp of our website to highlight all of Vanta’s product offerings, and spearheaded our HIPAA and ISO 27001 product launches.

I also oversee customer marketing and content marketing. I make sure we celebrate customers when they achieve their compliance goals and work on creating engaging content for prospects and existing customers alike.

What made you realize this was the right career field for you?

Honestly, I stumbled into product marketing. I started my career in management consulting, and liked it because it was very left-brain and analytical. Then I worked as a writer for a bit, which is more right-brain and creative. My friend at Google said, “Hey, I think you’d like product marketing because it’s right down the middle.” I worked as a Product Marketer at Google for seven years on a variety of teams. I realized it was the right career field for me because it fits both sides of my personality — data-driven and strategic, while also tapping into my love of writing and creative expression. Outside of Vanta, I run my family’s boutique winery. We grow Cabernet and make Pinot in Healdsburg!

Why did you choose Vanta over other companies? 

I knew that I wanted to leave Google and get back to working at a startup, but as I evaluated startups it was nerve-racking to make the decision. First, I was looking for a mission that excited me. I loved that Vanta was looking to secure the internet. We’ve started by automating SOC 2 and other compliance standards, but the mission is so much broader and bigger. Second was the leadership aspect — I met Christina and was excited to work for and alongside her. Third, the company was growing. Vanta waited a long time to start a marketing team, which was a big opportunity because there was already a great product-market fit. I saw a lot of ways that marketing could accelerate the growth of a product people already loved and needed. I also spoke to a few friends who were Vanta customers. They loved it and spoke so highly of the customer success managers, and made me feel like Vanta was a product that was authentically valued by people.

What excites you about Vanta’s mission? 

The mission to secure the internet is very important and interesting to me. One of my first product marketing roles was on Google’s Security and Account products. A company like Google had tons of teams and hundreds of people to work specifically on security. But even at small startups, security best practices don’t really change — just the access to resources changes. I think it’s exciting to bring tools and rigor to growing companies that all of us as consumers love to use.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I’m an avid equestrian, and last year my husband and I had planned a trip to Mongolia. It was going to be two weeks trekking on horseback across the Mongolian plains. My husband had generously agreed to join even though he’s not the biggest fan of horseback riding. The trip was obviously delayed, and I’m not sure when we’ll go, but that is definitely high on my bucket list.