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<br /> Spotting an opportunity in an emerging field of thin-film technology, founder Mark Jenson (left) and chairman Victor Weiss
<br /> didn't take "no" for an answer. They traveled 7,000 miles around the world to find the capital they needed to found Cymbet.
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<br /> dynamic world of thin-film technology dur- another •important step—bringing in sea- Where most people are nearing retire
<br /> -
<br /> dynamic
<br /> his employment with NVE (OTC: soned business managers up front. That ment, Weiss, who entered the Cymbet pic-
<br /> NVEC) [see "Bucking the Odds," decision led to two long-time acquaintances tune in April 2000,couldn't resist the oppor-
<br /> MinnesotaBusiness, December 1997.] during of Jacobs', Victor Weiss, a former Bemis tuniry for one more challenge. A chemical
<br /> the late 1980s. But it wasn't until leaving executive who serves as Cymbet's chairman, engineer by training, whose career included
<br /> Plymouth based Union Semiconductor and Brian Shiffman,a Control Data veteran a stop at Du Pont,Weiss spent the majority
<br /> Technology Corp., a company that Jenson who serves as vice president of business of his career rising through the ranks of
<br /> and several other Honeywell engineers development. Bemis Corp.
<br /> founded in early 1999, that Jenson came up
<br /> with a business idea based on the technology.
<br /> Through various conversations with his
<br /> network of supporters,Jenson learned about
<br /> battery technologies being developed at Oak s
<br /> A 9 9 i !III 9 i
<br /> Ridge National Laboratory (www.ornl.govj a a � ;;, ;r �, w
<br /> located in Oak Ridge,Tenn., a federal gov- „'
<br /> ernment research institution that offers
<br /> opportunities to license its technology. In ('' O O D \I r (� ■
<br /> reflecting on his experiences at NVE and \ L J
<br /> uu Q U
<br /> Union Semiconductor, Jenson realized that. YOU'L L K N 0 E H A C T L 7 H 0 W
<br /> while thin-film battery technology had great u
<br /> potential, the real challenge lies in establish- K MUCH M 0 N E I T 0 U H H U E.
<br /> ing manufacturing processes to actually pro-
<br /> duce commercially viable thin-film batteries.
<br /> In early 2000,Jenson, armed with a busi- B D N E`W S ,
<br /> ness plan,officially hung his shingle out on a ■ i
<br /> new .-
<br /> business that he called Integrated Power a,
<br /> Solutions,Inc.,which would later be renamed Y 0 U'L L KNOW E H H C T L Y H O W
<br /> u U Q
<br /> Cymbet. At the heart of the new company MUCH M 0 N E 7 you U H A lir
<br /> E. !
<br /> business plan: 15 batterychemistrypatents
<br /> licensed from Oak Ridge National
<br /> Laboratory,matched with seven patents pend
<br /> ing for manufacturing improvements.
<br /> Sparking a Connection .�'
<br /> Tenon's experiences with NVE and Union with marquette.com, you'll have all the information
<br /> Semiconductor proved invaluable when
<br /> you need to keep your business running smoothly. Our.web
<br /> Jenson hooked up with Harlan Jacobs and
<br /> the incubator that Jacobs' company man11 site is easy and very convenient. Plus, it can.save you time
<br /> ages with the City of Elk River.
<br /> 11,,,, and money:With marquetEe.com you can get instant balance 4
<br /> As Jacobs describes it, he was floored by ,, reports, transfer funds, originate ACH transactions an stop:,:f;is;4::::: ,,,,, 1,,
<br /> the commercial potential of the technology
<br /> that Jenson had identified. Jacobs, who payments.Sign up`now for marquette.corn's Business Web
<br /> himself has experience in the thin-film Banking. For more information, visit us on the web at
<br /> industry as the former CFO of FilmTec
<br /> : :' -:'•1'
<br /> Corporation, immediately helped Jenson www•masrquette.com anytime, any day. We'll be open for
<br /> t
<br /> raise about $300,000 through a combing- business. MargUette.Cortl. Nonstop banking
<br /> tion of investments from the Anoka-
<br /> Sherburne County Capital Fund and the
<br /> Elk River Investment Club, which consists
<br /> rIt kr-ifw^w:.4+�d+ai.-.'rH4 l.a: +-tm., �+'hii�
<br /> of a group of private angel investors. The Marquette Banks
<br /> caveat for accepting this funding—the new
<br /> business must remain in Elk River.
<br /> With Jacobs' guidance, Jenson took
<br /> *other terms and conditions may apply. Member FDIC ©Marquette Bank,N.A.2001
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