TICE Dispatch: Markets Rest, Startups Rise — Key Stories of the Day!

Even as much of India paused today to celebrate Guru Nanak Jayanti and Kartik Purnima, the nation’s economic and startup engines didn’t quite take a holiday. From Nvidia’s big plunge into India’s deep-tech future to Google’s new AI skilling mission for homegrown founders, November 5, 2025, has been a day of both reflection and acceleration.

While stock markets stayed closed, global investors and policymakers kept India firmly in their sights. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reiterated India’s imminent leap to becoming the world’s third-largest economy, startups found new growth levers through partnerships and programs, and trade discussions with New Zealand pointed toward fresh opportunities on the global front.

But beneath the surface of optimism, dividend darlings disappointed, exports faced tariff headwinds, and a train collision tragedy underscored the challenges of balancing progress with infrastructure safety.

Here’s your TICE Daily Dispatch for November 5, 2025 — a concise yet comprehensive wrap of startup news and other developments that shaped India’s business, economy, and startup landscape today.

Top News of the Day

1. Markets pause for the day

Today, Indian capital markets were closed in observance of Guru Nanak Jayanti (also known as Prakash Utsav) and Kartik Purnima. The central exchanges — National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) — suspended trading for the full day. The holiday provides a momentary breather for markets, but underlying pressures remain. For instance, recent weakness in key sectors has been flagged by analysts.

2. Macro growth narrative accelerates

India is poised to become the third-largest economy in the world, according to Nirmala Sitharaman. She noted the country’s rise from the 10th largest in 2014 to 5th today, and being on track to move into the 4th and then 3rd spots. This signals a shift in narrative: not just growth, but global positioning.

3. Export challenges amid tariff headwinds

While headline exports are holding up, a closer look reveals stress: high working-capital needs, credit constraints and tariff pressure from the US are tightening the margin for India’s exporters.This comes at a time of falling GST collections in 20 of India’s 36 states for October — a cue of weaker underlying demand. 

4. Deep-tech push: global investor joins India

Nvidia has entered a coalition of Indian and US investors to back India’s deep-tech startup ecosystem, committing significant capital (cited as US$850 m or more) to fuel AI hardware, software and systems development. This combination of global brand + domestic startup ambition underscores India’s pivot toward deeper tech capabilities.

5. Skilling initiative for startup founders

Google announced “Startup School: Prompt to Prototype,” a two-week AI skilling programme (Nov 27 – Dec 7, 2025) under the umbrella of MeitY Startup Hub, NASSCOM and IndiaAI Mission to enable early-stage founders build AI-powered prototypes. For your coverage, this is a nod that human capital and founder-skilling remain critical to India’s next-wave startup growth.

6. Sports & gaming tech accelerator

Indian Institute of Management Lucknow (IIM-L) has partnered with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and sports-media firm Legaxy Sports Media to launch India’s first sportstech/gaming/eSports accelerator, selecting 10 startups for its first cohort. This reflects diversification of the startup ecosystem into leisure, sport and media tech — beyond fintech and SaaS.

7. Infrastructure tie-up: Maharashtra & Starlink

The Government of Maharashtra has announced a partnership with Starlink (owned by Elon Musk) to expand satellite-based connectivity across the state — positioning Maharashtra as a leader in India’s digital-infrastructure push. Connectivity is increasingly part of the growth infrastructure thrust that supports startups, digital economy and remote access.

8. Dividend stocks disappoint — PSU winners turn losers

Several of India’s high-yielding PSU stocks have fallen by double digits (up to 28 %) — surprising many income-seeking investors who had held them for steady dividend income. This signals a caution: dividend-led narratives may face structural headwinds in the Indian market.

9. Trade deal with New Zealand: sensitive sector protection

India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, visiting New Zealand, urged businesses to prepare for a free-trade agreement (FTA) that protects dairy and MSMEs — indicating India’s negotiation stance of safeguarding vulnerable sectors. For startup/SME coverage, the emphasis on MSMEs hints at ongoing policy tailwinds (or resistance) for smaller firms.

10. Transport disaster: train collision

In a tragic reminder of infrastructure vulnerabilities, at least 11 people were killed when a passenger train collided with a cargo train in central India. Though not directly startup or economy-related, infrastructure risks and safety remain relevant for the broader business-environment lens.

11. Startup ecosystem commentary: dividend vs capital gains debate

Ashneer Grover of BharatPe took to X to question Nithin Kamath (of Zerodha) on dividend vs capital gains logic in India's startup ecosystem — a revealing public debate on founder/investor attitude. This is telling: as the ecosystem matures, investor expectations (dividends, exits) are evolving — a storyline worth tracking.

12. Gold investment surge

Analysts at CareEdge Research say that gold demand in India is being driven heavily by investment motives rather than jewelry — demand in H1 2025 matched full-year 2024 levels. In a week with markets closed, this alternative-asset print may signal capital flows shifting.