cnolan

Austin-based online coupon company WhaleShark Media Inc. has added Jeff Smith as its senior director of search engine optimization, and Brian Hoyt as the company's head of communications. Prior to WhaleShark, Smith worked for six years at HomeAway.com. Hoyt was previously vice president of corporate communications and government affairs for Chicago-based Orbitz Worldwide Inc. WhaleShark is backed by venture capital firms Austin Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, Adams Street Partners and Google Ventures.

Progreso Financiero has sealed a $30 million mezzanine debt facility from listed company BlackRock Kelso Capital Corp. Progreso Financiero, using a proprietary risk scoring system, provides loans without collateral to clients who lack a credit history. The company, formed in 2005, has loaned out $210 million, mostly in microloans to the Hispanic community.

New York buyout shop Metalmark Capital has acquired a majority stake in Glen Allen, Va.-based Bostwick Laboratories Inc., the firm announced Tuesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Bostwick Laboratories is a provider of urologic anatomic pathology laboratory services. The Metalmark investment will help Bostwick with growth efforts and to expand development of its pathology laboratory services, which specialize in the monitoring and diagnosis of cancer.

Toronto-based online food ordering service Just-Eat Canada Inc. has acquired competitor GrubCanada Inc. Terms of the deal were not released. The Just-Eat Group, which operates across 13 countries, was formed in 2000 and is backed by $48 million from investors including Greylock Partners, Index Ventures and Redpoint Ventures.

YourEncore, the maker of an enterprise platform focused around research, development and commercialization challenges, has sealed an undisclosed amount from Accel-KKR, the company announced Tuesday. The money will be used for expansion efforts.

NXT Capital, a Chicago-based commercial finance company focused on the middle-market, has raised $318 million in equity commitments from investors including Teachers’ Private Capital, a unit of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. NXT Capital’s new investors include Credit Suisse’s Customized Fund Investment Group, Oak Hill Investment Management, and Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois.

Apollo Global Management has completed the acquisition of Gulf Stream Asset Management, a company that manages Collateralized Loan Obligations with approximately $3 billion in assets under management. The deal was first announced in July.

Soros Fund Management, owned by billionaire investor George Soros, has reported a 5.6% stake in WebMD Health Corp., Reuters reported, citing a regulatory filing. This disclosure follows a similar announcement on Friday by Carl Icahn, who revealed a nearly 8 percent stake in the company's outstanding stock, through direct and indirect holdings, Reuters wrote.

Kennedy Wilson Holdings Inc., an international real estate investment and services company, said it and its institutional partners have agreed to buy a loan portfolio from Bank of Ireland for $1.8 billion, Reuters reported Monday. In July this year, the Irish government halved its stake in Bank of Ireland. Canada's Fairfax Financial Holdings, buyout firm WL Ross & Co., Fidelity Investments, investment firm The Capital Group and Kennedy Wilson were named as the investors by Bank of Ireland, Reuters wrote.

Trilliant, a smart grid communications company, has named Steve Geiser chief financial officer. Geiser served previously as the CFO of Raza Microelectronics Inc. Trilliant. Based in Redwood City, Calif., is backed by investors including GE, Investor Growth Capital, MissionPoint Capital Partners, UMC Capital, VantagePoint Capital Partners and zouk ventures.