diff --git a/jpype/_core.py b/jpype/_core.py
index bdc4a0e3c..8af9ab8f8 100644
--- a/jpype/_core.py
+++ b/jpype/_core.py
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ def interactive():
 def startJVM(
     *jvmargs: str,
     jvmpath: typing.Optional[_PathOrStr] = None,
-    classpath: typing.Optional[_PathOrStr] = None,
+    classpath: typing.Optional[typing.Sequence[_PathOrStr], _PathOrStr] = None,
     ignoreUnrecognized: bool = False,
     convertStrings: bool = False,
     interrupt: bool = not interactive(),
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ def startJVM(
     # JVM path
     if jvmargs:
         # jvm is the first argument the first argument is a path or None
-        if jvmargs[0] is not None and isinstance(jvmargs[0], str) and not jvmargs[0].startswith('-'):
+        if jvmargs[0] is None or (isinstance(jvmargs[0], str) and not jvmargs[0].startswith('-')):
             if jvmpath:
                 raise TypeError('jvmpath specified twice')
             jvmpath = jvmargs[0]
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ def startJVM(
         # Allow the path to be a PathLike.
         jvmpath = os.fspath(jvmpath)
 
-    extra_jvm_args = tuple()
+    extra_jvm_args: typing.Tuple[str, ...] = tuple()
 
     # Classpath handling
     if _hasClassPath(jvmargs):
diff --git a/jpype/_core.pyi b/jpype/_core.pyi
deleted file mode 100644
index f4eb32c79..000000000
--- a/jpype/_core.pyi
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-class _JRuntime:
-    pass
diff --git a/test/jpypetest/test_startup.py b/test/jpypetest/test_startup.py
index 0dd609a9c..350971f09 100644
--- a/test/jpypetest/test_startup.py
+++ b/test/jpypetest/test_startup.py
@@ -16,24 +16,12 @@
 #
 # *****************************************************************************
 import jpype
-import common
 import subrun
 import functools
 import os
 from pathlib import Path
-import sys
 import unittest
 
-
-@functools.wraps(jpype.startJVM)
-def runStartJVMTest(*args, **kwargs):
-    jpype.startJVM(*args, **kwargs)
-    try:
-        assert jpype.JClass('jpype.array.TestArray') is not None
-    except Exception as err:
-        raise RuntimeError("Test class not found") from err
-
-
 root = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__)))
 cp = os.path.join(root, 'classes').replace('\\', '/')
 
@@ -64,26 +52,39 @@ def testInvalidArgsFalse(self):
     def testInvalidArgsTrue(self):
         jpype.startJVM(
             "-for_sure_InVaLiD",
-            ignoreUnrecognized=True, convertStrings=False,
+            ignoreUnrecognized=True,
+            convertStrings=False,
         )
 
     def testClasspathArgKeyword(self):
-        runStartJVMTest(classpath=cp, convertStrings=False)
+        jpype.startJVM(classpath=cp, convertStrings=False)
+        assert jpype.JClass('jpype.array.TestArray') is not None
 
     def testClasspathArgList(self):
-        runStartJVMTest(classpath=[cp], convertStrings=False)
+        jpype.startJVM(
+            classpath=[cp],
+            convertStrings=False,
+        )
+        assert jpype.JClass('jpype.array.TestArray') is not None
 
     def testClasspathArgListEmpty(self):
-        runStartJVMTest(classpath=[cp, ''], convertStrings=False)
+        jpype.startJVM(
+            classpath=[cp, ''],
+            convertStrings=False,
+        )
+        assert jpype.JClass('jpype.array.TestArray') is not None
 
     def testClasspathArgDef(self):
-        runStartJVMTest('-Djava.class.path=%s' % cp, convertStrings=False)
+        jpype.startJVM('-Djava.class.path=%s' % cp, convertStrings=False)
+        assert jpype.JClass('jpype.array.TestArray') is not None
 
     def testClasspathArgPath(self):
-        runStartJVMTest(classpath=Path(cp), convertStrings=False)
+        jpype.startJVM(classpath=Path(cp), convertStrings=False)
+        assert jpype.JClass('jpype.array.TestArray') is not None
 
     def testClasspathArgPathList(self):
-        runStartJVMTest(classpath=[Path(cp)], convertStrings=False)
+        jpype.startJVM(classpath=[Path(cp)], convertStrings=False)
+        assert jpype.JClass('jpype.array.TestArray') is not None
 
     def testClasspathArgGlob(self):
         jpype.startJVM(classpath=os.path.join(cp, '..', 'jar', 'mrjar*'))
@@ -91,32 +92,52 @@ def testClasspathArgGlob(self):
 
     def testClasspathTwice(self):
         with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
-            runStartJVMTest('-Djava.class.path=%s' %
+            jpype.startJVM('-Djava.class.path=%s' %
                             cp, classpath=cp, convertStrings=False)
 
     def testClasspathBadType(self):
         with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
-            runStartJVMTest(classpath=1, convertStrings=False)
+            jpype.startJVM(classpath=1, convertStrings=False)
 
     def testJVMPathArg_Str(self):
-        runStartJVMTest(self.jvmpath, classpath=cp, convertStrings=False)
+        jpype.startJVM(self.jvmpath, classpath=cp, convertStrings=False)
+        assert jpype.JClass('jpype.array.TestArray') is not None
+
+    def testJVMPathArg_None(self):
+        # It is allowed to pass None as a JVM path
+        jpype.startJVM(
+            None,  # type: ignore
+            classpath=cp,
+        )
+        assert jpype.JClass('jpype.array.TestArray') is not None
+
+    def testJVMPathArg_NoArgs(self):
+        jpype.startJVM(
+            classpath=cp,
+        )
+        assert jpype.JClass('jpype.array.TestArray') is not None
 
     def testJVMPathArg_Path(self):
         with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
-            runStartJVMTest([
+            jpype.startJVM(
                 # Pass a path as the first argument. This isn't supported (this is
                 # reflected in the type definition), but the fact that it "works"
                 # gives rise to this test.
-                Path(self.jvmpath), cp],  # type: ignore
+                Path(self.jvmpath),  # type: ignore
                 convertStrings=False,
             )
 
     def testJVMPathKeyword_str(self):
-        runStartJVMTest(classpath=cp, jvmpath=self.jvmpath,
-                        convertStrings=False)
+        jpype.startJVM(
+            classpath=cp,
+            jvmpath=self.jvmpath,
+            convertStrings=False,
+        )
+        assert jpype.JClass('jpype.array.TestArray') is not None
 
     def testJVMPathKeyword_Path(self):
-        runStartJVMTest(jvmpath=Path(self.jvmpath), classpath=cp, convertStrings=False)
+        jpype.startJVM(jvmpath=Path(self.jvmpath), classpath=cp, convertStrings=False)
+        assert jpype.JClass('jpype.array.TestArray') is not None
 
     def testPathTwice(self):
         with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
@@ -124,4 +145,4 @@ def testPathTwice(self):
 
     def testBadKeyword(self):
         with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
-            jpype.startJVM(invalid=True)
+            jpype.startJVM(invalid=True)  # type: ignore