 Bomis ( / <unk> / to rhyme with " promise " ) was a dot @-@ com company best known for supporting the creations of free @-@ content online @-@ encyclopedia projects Nupedia and Wikipedia . It was founded in 1996 by Jimmy Wales , Tim Shell and Michael Davis . Davis became acquainted with Wales after hiring him at Chicago Options Associates in 1994 , and Wales became friends with Shell through mailing lists discussing philosophy . The primary business of Bomis was the sale of advertising on the Bomis.com search portal . 
