Norris Capsie, our Bachelor of Business graduate, was inspired during his time with JCU into becoming an entrepreneur. Now his company provides innovative solutions that helps businesses bridge the cultural gap in Asia and expand their market.

What are you up to right now? 

I am currently running my own High Tech Consultancy firm, Alphanova Pte Ltd, focusing on Market Expansion, Digital Marketing and Digital Solution services.

With our local presence and international vision, we are able to bridge cultural and business gaps that often hinder business success in Asia. Our team of experienced, multi-lingual and multi-disciplined professionals are able to provide superior services and innovative solutions to support your market expansion.

We accelerate your business in Asia Pacific. Based on your products, technology, and business model, we put our resources and expertise to work, getting you on a successful path to new revenue and market growth.

We started our operation during the summer of 2014 with just 3 headcount in a landed property room. Two and a half years on, we are now located in Lavender with 15 staff and counting with representatives in Europe (France, Holland), China and Hong Kong.

Can you tell us more about your current role and Company? What made you decide to take on this role?

Having previously worked as a Campus Activities Executive at JCU and as a Sales Executive for an F&B supplier, I enjoyed the constant interaction I had between clients (or students) and making sure that we provided an excellent service.

This led to my current role at Alphanova which is to oversee our sales development and to ensure that our projects are delivered effectively and efficiently to our clients.

If you could highlight one memorable experience (with your current company), what would it be? 

There are many memorable experiences such as our first project ever won or lost, first employee hired, our new office, first international project among many. In a start-up environment, your company is your baby, so every moment is precious and part of your learning curve.

They were also many memorable experiences that, when I look back at them, they would make me cringe. And I would highlight these ones because true enough, I have learned so much from them to improve my pitch, my discussion with CXO’s and decision makers as well as understand my client’s body language/reaction when negotiating.

What would be some of the lessons learned or challenges faced?

There are times that were very difficult for us and felt as if we had hit a wall, many walls even. The key to overcome these challenges, which are very common in a start-up, is to persevere, not only individually but as a whole team. We kept on going and our families were tremendously supportive. We ensured that, despite the difficulties we faced, the service quality and professionalism provided to our clients remained impeccable. That’s the culture we had, and it certainly still is the culture now for us to achieve our goals in being a leader in this industry.

How do you feel studying at James Cook University has helped you? 

JCU is a melting pot of different cultures, not only did I benefit from my experience as a student academically with excellent lecturers (Shout out to Mr. Krishna Rajulu - sharing real life business case and Mr. Varma -both of whom inspired me to become an entrepreneur) but culturally as well. This has allowed me to set Alphanova up and provide curated services to our clients.

So what's next for you?

To keep moving forward, persevere and work hard until I no longer have to introduce my company and myself.

What would be your advice for current students?

Running your own company is a numbers game. Stats do not lie, you cannot sit back and hope that a project will land on your lap. If you have an idea of a business worth running, discuss with various mentors, do your market research, your market forecast, your projected finance. You need to be very committed and believe in what you do and the product you are selling.

If you are looking for advice in technology, digital marketing and/or market expansions services, let's talk!