WhaleShark Media operates a global portfolio of coupon and deals websites, including RetailMeNot.com and VoucherCodes.co.uk. The company’s marketplace connects consumers with discounts from more than 130,000 merchants and delivers over 300 million site visits annually. WhaleShark offers more than half a million active coupons and promotional codes, with consumers saving an average of nearly $20 each time they use a coupon. The company employs approximately 150 people across its Austin, TX headquarters and London offices. WhaleShark expects to facilitate sales in excess of $1.7 billion in 2011 and is described in the filing as fast-growing and profitable. Management plans to use new capital to expand the company’s global footprint and enhance services for consumers and merchant partners through technology and personnel investments and acquisitions. Whaleshark Media runs a portfolio of coupon websites that aggregate offers from local businesses. The company is pursuing a roll-up strategy, growing through numerous acquisitions across the online coupon space. More than 100,000 businesses offer coupons on Whaleshark’s sites, and the company adds roughly 1,000 merchants weekly. About 150 million people visited its sites in the past year. Revenue is expected to top $50 million this year. Leadership is reinforcing the roll-up approach, including adding HomeAway CEO Brian Sharples to the board to support scaling the business. WhaleShark Media is an online coupon rollup play launched in June 2010 that replicates the HomeAway rollup model in the deals space. The company aggregates coupon and deals sites and has previously acquired Deals2Buy, Coupon7, Cheapstingybargains and Deals.com. WhaleShark is led by CEO Cotter Cuningham and was primarily funded by Austin Ventures, which has coupon and marketplace experience on its board. The company bought RetailMeNot using capital from a recent financing; RetailMeNot is four years old, draws about 14 million monthly visitors and is expected to generate roughly $30 million in 2010 revenue. According to the article, RetailMeNot’s model is highly profitable, running with about five employees and relying on search-driven traffic rather than paid ads. WhaleShark positions itself in the broader “deal” space alongside players like Groupon and emphasizes SEO, email and coupon/affiliate channels for traffic and customer acquisition. WhaleShark Media is building a rollup of online deals and coupon sites, consolidating the market through acquisitions. The company has acquired four sites to date: deals2buy, coupon7, couponshare and cheapstingybargains.com. It is led by former BankRate COO Cotter Cuningham, and former MySpace VP Mobile John Faith has joined the team. WhaleShark acquired the domain deals.com from Demand Media as its likely go-forward brand; Demand Media content remains on the site while the new site is in development. The company has used a mix of cash and stock to complete acquisitions, and says more deals are closing soon. WhaleShark has raised over $30 million from Austin Ventures and a number of undisclosed angels, and reports being profitable with revenues of $10 million–$20 million.

Total raised

$280M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Nov 2011