Angela Sormani

Hercules Technology Growth Capital, a specialty finance company, has appointed April Young as managing director and also announced the opening of its new offices in McLean, Va.

Google’s former senior vice president of engineering, Bill Coughran, has joined Sequoia Capital as a partner. Coughran will be making early and growth-stage investments for the venture firm.

Quercus Asset Selection Sarl, the Luxembourg based management company of the Quercus Renewable Energy Fund, a leading investor in the Italian photovoltaic market, has entered into a joint venture agreement with UK based Foresight Group to boost its investments in the Italian renewable energy market.

German-based LipoFIT has secured seven million euros ($9.5 million) to finance its growth and to support the market launch of its diagnostic technology. Investors include KfW Bankengruppe, Bayern Kapital and a private investor.

Economic woes and difficult lending conditions have prompted a return of stapled financings to back leveraged buyouts, Reuters' International Financing Review reports.

Belgian bank KBC has agreed the sale of its KBL private banking unit for 1.050 billion euros ($1.42 billion) to Qatari-backed Luxembourg firm Precision Capital, it said on Monday, falling 300 million euros ($407.8 million) short of previous plans for the sale.

Earlybird portfolio company madvertise has closed a $10 million Series B funding round. The company secured a new US investor, Blumberg Capital which will add strength to the business in a digital media and mobile advertising capacity.

UK-based LDC's Sala International has merged with ECI Partners-backed EDM Group. The 52 million pound (US$81.4 million) merger marks an exit for ECI and will create one of the UK’s largest providers of outsourced information management services.

London-based fund manager Pantheon has appointed two senior executives to its product development and client services teams in the UK and US. Amanda McCrystal joins Pantheon’s London office as a principal, leading the strategic development of new product and distribution initiatives. She joins from HarbourVest where she headed up strategic business development. Yokasta Baez joins Pantheon’s New York office as a vice president in the global client services team. She joins from AXA Private Equity where she was manager of North American investor relations and business development.

Canadian venture capital and diversified investment firm Pinetree Capital has acquired ownership of 1,000,000 common shares and 500,000 common share purchase warrants of Vanoil Energy Ltd.