Startup news and updates: daily roundup (June 24, 2021)

McAfee antivirus software creator dead in Spanish prison

John McAfee, the creator of the McAfee antivirus software, has been found dead in his cell in a jail near Barcelona, a government official has said. Hours earlier, a Spanish court issued a preliminary ruling in favour of the 75-year-old tycoon's extradition to the United States to face tax-related criminal charges.

Twitter adds Razorpay to its 'Tip Jar' option, helping Indians tip their favourite influencers

Social media giant Twitter on Thursday said it has added Razorpay as an option to its 'Tip Jar' feature, in a bid to make it easier for Indians to send and receive cash gifts from their followers or users who like their content.

Tip Jar was launched last month by the Jack Dorsey-led company to help influencers and public figures monetise their social media accounts and earn money from their biggest supporters.

Focusing on providing reliability to customers: Amazon India

Amid the unprecedented impact of COVID-19, Amazon, an ecommerce firm, has focused on providing reliability to customers, ensuring the safety of employees, and helping sellers get back on their feet, a top official of the company said on Wednesday.

Insights shared by Amazon India indicated that Prime members continue to adopt the programme for its various benefits to add ease and convenience to their everyday lives, Director - Prime, Amazon India, Subbu Palaniappan told reporters.

How this ex-hedge fund executive founded investment management startup WealthDesk (Funding)

WealthDesk has closed the final tranche of its pre-Series A funding of $3.2 million led by Mathew Cyriac, Former Blackstone Partner and Co-head of India PE, and now founder of Florintree Advisors. 

Earlier this year, it had raised the first tranche of its pre-Series A funding from individual investors, including senior leaders from global banks, market participants, and other top technology business corporates.

Nobel Hygiene raises Rs 450 Cr led by Quadria Capital (Funding)

Nobel Hygiene, a manufacturer of disposable hygiene products, has raised around Rs 450-Rs 500 crore from investors led by healthcare-focused private equity fund Quadria Capital.

After the latest funding, Quadria will own a significant minority stake in the company after PE investors CLSA Capital Partners, Access India fund, and its co-investors exited their investment in the startup.

Amazon announces 'Small Business Days 2021' sale; to help SMBs bounce back from COVID-19

Ecommerce major Amazon is set to host 'Small Business Days 2021' from July 2-4, 2021, as part of its efforts to enable sellers to bounce back from the economic disruption caused by COVID-19 and support the local economy.

According to a statement, the three-day event will see participation from lakhs of manufacturers, small brand owners, over 1,000 startups and brands from Launchpad, 6.8 lakh women entrepreneurs from Amazon Saheli, more than 12 lakh artisans and weavers from Amazon Karigar, and over 50,000 neighbourhood stores from the Local Shops on Amazon programme.

Wellness startup Green Cure raises pre-Series A round from Venture Catalysts (Funding)

Delhi-based wellness startup Green Cureon Thursday said it has raised an undisclosed pre-Series A round from Venture Catalysts.

Green Cure, which sells herbal OTC products, will utilise the funds to scale up its operations and foray into new product categories.