Early Stage Deal Blog by Bill Payne

Mr. Payne co-founded Solid State Dielectrics, Inc. in 1971 to manufacturer dielectric powders for the multilayer ceramic capacitor business. He sold SSD to DuPont in 1982. The business is now integrated into Ferro Corporation with revenues estimated at $30 million.   Novacap, Inc. was founded in 1980 with Mr. Payne as a “business angel.” This manufacturer of multilayer ceramic capacitors grew to $6 million in revenues with 100 employees by 1987 when it was sold to Dover Corporation. Novacap continues to operate as a stand-alone unit within Dover, with $75 million in annual revenues and 400 employees.

Mr. Payne served as Chairman of Ceramic Devices, Inc. from the founding in 1980 until the business was sold to Pacific Aerospace and Electronics in 1995. Annual revenues of this manufacturer of electronic RF filters are currently about $5 million and CDI employs about 40 persons.

Mr. Payne headed a small group of investors that formed Vista Staffing Solutions, Inc. in 1990.  With 100 employees, VISTA now has annual revenues over $50 million in healthcare staffing, specifically, the temporary placement of physicians.   Since 1997, Mr. Payne has made angel investments in many companies through his membership in four angel organizations:

Aztec Angel Networks

San Diego Tech Coast AngelsSan Diego Vegas Valley Angels – Las Vegas

Frontier Angel Fund – Whitefish, Montana

CURRENT STARTUP BUSINESS INVESTMENTS

• • Advanced Monitors - infrared thermometers (www.admon.com)
• • Controltec - custom software solutions (www.controltec.com)
• • Gold Systems - wireless and telephony software (www.goldsys.com)
• • Impact Sports Technology – aerobic feedback glove (www.impactsports.com)
• • SmartConnect – video surveillance software (www.smartconnect.net)  

RECENT BUSINESS AND NOT- FOR- PROFIT BOARD SERVICE

• Board of Directors: Tech Coast Angels – San Diego’s angel investing network
• Board of Directors: Vegas Valley Angels – Las Vegas’ angel network
• Mentoring Director: Chairmen’s RoundTable – San Diego’s business mentoring org. • Board of Directors: Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego, California (www.sharp.com)
• Board of Directors: Gold Systems - wireless and telephony software www.goldsys.com)
• Board of Directors: Controltec - custom software solutions (www.controltec.com)
• Board of Directors: MIVA Corp. - software for eCommerce (www.miva.com)
• Chairman: Vista Staffing Solutions, Inc. - temporary doctor placement (www.vistastaff.com)
• Chairman: SmartConnect, Inc. – video surveillance software (www.smartconnect.net)
• Advisory Boards: Angel Capital Association and Angel Capital Education Foundation   
• Organizations of angel groups (www.angelcapitalassociation.com and www.angelcapitaleducation.org)  

EXPERTISE

Mr. Payne has delivered numerous lectures and seminars on technical ceramics, multilayer capacitors and applications, technology transfer, the commercialization of advanced ceramics, entrepreneurship, angel investing and start-up businesses. For the past decade, Mr. Payne has been engaged in a consulting role with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (Kansas City). He led the team which developed a new seminar on angel seminar for accredited investors in communities around the country. He currently serves as a lead instructor for this product which has been delivered nearly 100 times around the world. Through his efforts at the Foundation, he is leading the product development of several additional workshops for training angel investors. He also serves as a content manager for Kauffman’s new website for high-impact entrepreneurs, www.eVenturing.com.

 Mr. Payne has significant experience in new product development, commercializing new products and using strategic partnerships to facilitate new product implementation. While employed by the DuPont Company in the middle ‘ 80s, his charge was to define new opportunities for the company in advanced ceramics. In the middle ‘90s, he established a new division of the Carlisle Companies to commercialize new processing technology. He is a strong advocate for technology transfer from universities into U.S. companies through his involvement in advisory committees to materials science

and engineering departments at four U.S. universities.

Mr. Payne has recognized major technology licensing opportunities on several occasions. He introduced DuPont to Lanxide Corporation, which resulted in a license and joint venture of exciting ceramic technology in the mid 80s. While with Carlisle Corporation in 1995, he found a licensing partner for this Fortune 1000 company in Japan and negotiated a technology transfer agreement. Mr. Payne is an experienced advisor to entrepreneurs. He has invested in thirty-one startup companies and has served on the Boards of Directors for more than 15 private businesses. He has over 120 years of cumulative Board service for private companies and not-for-profit organizations. Through is role as an Entrepreneur in Residence to the Kauffman Foundation, he has been a Board advisor to the Young Entrepreneurs’ Organization, an organization of 5000 young entrepreneurs with businesses exceeding $1 million in annual revenues.