About Topix
Topix is a company based in Palo Alto (United States) founded in 2002 by Rich Skrenta, Bob Truel, and Tom Markson was acquired by Publishers Clearing House in September 2019. Topix has raised $15 million across 2 funding rounds from investors including Tribune Media, Gannett and McClatchy. The company has 34 employees. Topix offers products and services including Promotions Platform. Topix operates in a competitive market with competitors including Toutiao, News Break, DailyHunt, VerSe and Gunosy, among others.
- Headquarter Palo Alto, United States
- Employees 34
- Founders Rich Skrenta, Bob Truel, Tom Markson
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Website topix.com
- Social X Facebook
- Acquired by Publishers Clearing House (Sep 2019)
- Legal Name Topix, Llc
- Total Equity Funding$15M (USD)
in 2 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$15M (USD), Series B
Nov 2006
- InvestorsTribune Media
& 3 more
- Employee Count34
- Acquired byPublishers Clearing House
(Sep 2019)
Products & Services of Topix
Topix offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Promotions Platform.
Platform for entering promotions and giveaways with geographic checks
Funding Insights of Topix
Topix has successfully raised a total of $15M across 2 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series B round of $15 million completed in November 2006. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $15M
- Total Rounds 2
- Last Round Series B — $15M
- Investors Count 3
All 2 funding rounds of Topix with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2006 | $15M | Series B | – | – | |
| May 2005 | – | Series A | – | – |
4 investors in total: 4 institutional.
Investors in Topix
Topix has secured backing from 4 investors, including institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Tribune Media, Gannett and McClatchy.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
News and information are published internationally by Gannett. | 1906 | gannett.com | United States | |
TV programs are distributed and broadcast by Tribune Media. | 1847 | tribunemedia.com | Chicago, United States | |
Provider of local news and information services | 1857 | mcclatchy.com | Sacramento, United States | |
Provides comprehensive direct marketing services. | 1953 | pch.com | Jericho, United States |
Investor details for Topix
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Topix
24 people are tracked at Topix (15 in leadership, 9 in team); the tracked headcount is 34.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Rich Skrenta | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Bob Truel | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Tom Markson | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Connor Beardsmore | Chief Technology Officer | Leadership |
Nicole Cemelli | VP Of Finance | Leadership |
Arlen Calderin Gebauer | Human Resources Director | Leadership |
Patrick Fechtmeyer | Co-Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Sebastian M. | Head Of VIP | Leadership |
David Jumper | Chief Marketing Officer | Leadership |
Justin Martinolich | Head Of Retention Marketing | Leadership |
Luis Grases Garcia | Chief Technology Officer | Leadership |
Dan Marks | Chief Financial Officer | Leadership |
Sid Kleinpeter | Head Of User Acquisition | Leadership |
Jesse E Malone | Head Of Business And Legal Affairs | Leadership |
Michael Cooper | Vice President of Finance & Controller | Leadership |
Khareem O. | Retention Marketing Associate | Team |
Chloe McCarthy | Video Editor | Team |
Connor Anderson | Lead Frontend Engineer | Team |
Anthony Clark | Account Manager | Team |
Parham Bakhtiari | Engineering Lead | Team |
4 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Topix
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Topix
4 dated milestones of Topix across 17 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Topix is founded.
- Funding First funding round.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series B, of $15.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Publishers Clearing House.
Competitors of Topix
Topix operates in a dynamic and competitive business environment, facing competition from various established players and emerging companies in the market. The competitive landscape includes prominent companies such as Toutiao, News Break, DailyHunt, VerSe and Gunosy, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| toutiao.com | 2012 | Beijing, China | $3.1B | – | Personalized news aggregator app | |
| newsbreak.com | 2015 | Mountain View, United States | $140.24M | 122 | Multi-category news is aggregated online by News Break. | |
| dailyhunt.in | 2009 | Bengaluru, India | $129.01M | 942 | Multi-category news is curated and delivered in multiple languages. | |
| verse.in | 2007 | Bengaluru, India | $2.02B | 669 | Developer of a short-video platform and technology infrastructure | |
| gunosy.com | 2012 | Minato, Japan | $24.1M | – | Gunosy is a Japanese-based social media news aggregator | |
| smartnews.com | 2012 | San Francisco, United States | $410.2M | – | Personalized news stories are discovered via machine learning algorithms. | |
| yahoo.co.jp | 1996 | Chiyoda, Japan | – | 1 | Online media portal | |
| msn.com | 1995 | Redmond, United States | – | – | Operates a web portal that aggregates news and delivers various online services to users. | |
| onet.pl | 1996 | Krakow, Poland | – | – | Online news, opinions, and services are provided to Polish readers. |
Detailed competitors of Topix
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
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Web traffic of Topix
Websites that share an audience with Topix (topix.com).
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Topix. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cnn.com | 100% | 494.3M | #131 | View details | |
| digg.com | 100% | 1.1M | #108,297 | View details | |
| newser.com | 100% | 2.8M | #18,201 | View details | |
| nowpublic.com | 99% | 680.7K | – | View details | |
| nytimes.com | 98% | 695.1M | #71 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 27 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Topix
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 27 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Latest news on Topix
Complete news archive for Topix
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Similar companies to Topix
10 companies that operate in the same segment as Topix (DTC Media Innovators), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diversified gaming and sports media platforms are operated and developed. | 1999 | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | USD 127.93 M | USD 194.94 M | 63 | |
News media platform for soccer | 2008 | Berlin, Berlin, Germany | USD 320.1 M | – | – | |
Multi-category news is delivered through an app-based platform. | 2016 | Arlington, Virginia, United States | USD 30 M | – | 356 | |
News media platform covering combat sports | 2011 | Singapore | USD 386 M | – | – | |
Multi-category news is curated and delivered in multiple languages. | 2009 | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India | USD 129.01 M | – | 942 | |
Hyperlocal short news app is provided in multiple languages. | 2014 | Hyderabad, Telangana, India | USD 30.77 M | USD 5.35 M | 309 | |
Online platform publishing content focusing on investment | 2011 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | USD 60.4 M | – | – | |
Subscription-based sports media is delivered to local premium audiences. | 2016 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | USD 134.42 M | – | – | |
Multiple online media and lifestyle brands are owned and operated. | 2007 | Levallois-perret, Hauts-de-seine, France | USD 4.7 M | – | – | |
Sports commentary and news are provided through Hupu's platform. | 2004 | Shanghai, China | USD 338.72 M | – | – |
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Frequently Asked Questions about Topix
Topix was founded in 2002 and raised its 1st funding round 3 years after it was founded.
Topix is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States. It is registered at Palo Alto, California, United States.
Topix is a funded company, having raised a total of $15M across 2 funding rounds to date.
Topix has 34 employees.
Topix was founded in 2002 in Palo Alto, United States, as a platform in the news aggregation sector. News from 74,000 sources is connected to over 450,000 user-generated forums, fostering discussions on local and relevant topics. Partnerships with major media companies are maintained to expand online audiences through integrated forums and RSS feeds, supporting community engagement across the platform.
Topix's top competitors include DailyHunt, Toutiao and News Break.
Topix offers Promotions Platform.
Topix has 4 investors. Key investors include Tribune Media, Gannett, McClatchy, and Publishers Clearing House.
Topix operates through Topix, Llc.
Yes. Topix was acquired by Publishers Clearing House in September 2019.