If it's topical, this company is on it. Topix first carved out a space in the crowded Internet search market by distributing local news from online news sources. The company created artificial intelligence algorithms to continuously monitor breaking news from more than 50,000 sources, including newspapers, blogs, radio and TV stations, government information, magazines, and corporate Web sites. Topix later added user-generated capabilities to its service, allowing site visitors to share, edit, and discuss news. Topix was founded in 2004 by former Sun Microsystems and Netscape engineers Tom Markson, Bryn Dole, and Bob Truel. They share ownership of Topix, along with Gannett, McClatchy, and Tribune.