University’s Engineering Student’s Startup ‘Habonix Media’ Receives Rs. 3 Lakh Startup Seed Grant from Punjab Government
CHANDIGARH, India, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Combining technology and creativity to help businesses grow efficiently in a competitive digital market, a Chandigarh University (CU) alumnus, Sabhay Khera, has founded a startup Habonix Media Pvt Ltd — a one-stop solution provider for IT services, helping MSMEs and growing businesses build, scale, and succeed in the digital space — offering end-to-end services including web and mobile app development, UI/UX (User Interface and User Experience) design and performance marketing solutions tailored to each client’s goals.
Under Habonix Media, which received the Rs. 3 lakh startup seed grant from the Punjab government, Sabhay has co-founded two specialised ventures— ‘No Cap Creative’ and ‘CollabRats’. While ‘No Cap Creative’, which was co-founded by Sabhay in January 2026 with Avleen Kaur, provides end-to-end digital marketing and content solutions, ‘CollabRats’ is a mobile networking and opportunity discovery platform co-founded by Sabhay in May 2025 with Ramandeep Singh.
Describing his entrepreneurial journey, a 2025 batch student of Computer Science Engineering (CSE) at Chandigarh University, Sabhay said, “Entrepreneurship rarely begins with everything figured out. It starts with taking the first step, finding people whose strengths complement your own, learning from every project and continuously improving. So when I founded Habonix Media Pvt Ltd, my goal was to deliver reliable, result-driven, and scalable solutions tailored to each client’s goals through IT services and consulting.”
“As a part of this journey, I have co-founded ‘No Cap Creative’ with Avleen Kaur and ‘CollabRats’ with Ramandeep Singh. No Cap Creative provides end-to-end digital marketing and content solutions, including Social Media Marketing, Performance Marketing, Content Creation, Video Production and Shoots, Video Editing, Graphic Design, Web Development, and Digital Branding and Creative Strategy. It works with businesses across multiple sectors and adapts its creative and marketing strategies according to the needs of each client. No Cap Creative started with just three clients in January 2026 but now has over 20 clients across a wide range of business establishments including restaurants and hospitality, real estate, healthcare and doctors, sports and fitness, fashion and lifestyle, retail and e-commerce and professional services. Some of these notable brands include Basant, Ombre and Amoldo, among others.”
“With monthly revenue exceeding Rs. 3 lakh, No Cap Creative currently has a team of over 12 members, covering creative, content, video, design, marketing and other functions required to serve its growing client base. With 10 million+ cumulative views generated for clients, No Cap Creative has also successfully created multiple pieces of viral content for its clients, helping businesses across different industries increase their digital visibility and reach. No Cap Creative plans to expand its presence across North India and build a larger team capable of handling increasingly ambitious creative and marketing projects. The company intends to deepen its capabilities in content production, performance marketing, branding and digital strategy while continuing to work with businesses across different industries. We will also explore technology products and platforms, with the long-term goal of building a company that goes beyond traditional agency services,” he added.
Sabhay said, “The idea for ‘CollabRats’ originated from my personal experience of finding it difficult to discover the right people and opportunities in a new environment. We realized that although young people are more digitally connected than ever, finding the right people and opportunities still depends heavily on existing networks. CollabRats was created as a mobile networking and opportunity discovery platform to make that discovery easier. By addressing the fragmented nature of networking and opportunity discovery, it helps users discover relevant people, jobs, gigs, events, communities and services nearby through hyperlocal discovery and smart matchmaking.”
“CollabRats is currently pre-revenue and is focused on product validation, user growth and achieving product-market fit. Four team members are currently working with CollabRats across product, technology, business and other functions. CollabRats has launched its beta, onboarded 250+ users, conducted 200+ user surveys, built CollabNation with 300+ members, achieved 1M+ social media views. We plan to build strong user communities city by city, starting with Punjab and expanding to Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. We will focus on improving matchmaking, user experience and retention while scaling through communities, campuses, referrals, content and partnerships,” he added.
On the role of Chandigarh University, Sabhay said, “Chandigarh University provided me an environment with valuable entrepreneurship exposure, education, leadership opportunities, startup ecosystem support and access to incubation opportunities which contributed to my overall development as an entrepreneur.”
“My biggest advice to students would be make use of the learning opportunities available at university campus and to start before you feel completely ready because entrepreneurship rarely begins with everything figured out. It starts with taking the first step, finding people whose strengths complement your own, learning from every project and continuously improving. Students should not be afraid to experiment while they are still in college. Even small freelance projects, side businesses or collaborations can become the foundation for something much bigger. Start with a real problem, talk to users, build something small and keep improving. Being a student is actually an advantage because you have the time and environment to experiment and learn.”
Congratulating CU alumnus Sabhay Khera on his entrepreneurial journey and extending best wishes for his success, Deepinder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director, Chandigarh University, said, “Chandigarh University fosters an entrepreneurial ecosystem which encourages its students to innovate and develop new technologies. Since its inception, Chandigarh University students have created over 250 Start-Ups. Chandigarh University’s Technology Business Incubator (CU-TBI) is mobilising Rs. 5 crore to catalyze growth in the startup ecosystem at CU.”
“The industry-collaborated and future-ready program of Chandigarh University are meticulously designed to equip students with the latest industry insights, practical skills, and hands-on experiences, ensuring they are well-prepared to tackle the challenges of the modern business landscape,” he added.
About Chandigarh University
Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and QS World Ranked University. This autonomous educational institution is approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC.
Website address: https://www.cuchd.in/
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