Parsec

Parsec is a New York City-based software company developing low-latency video streaming technology that gives users remote access to a gaming PC from any location. The founders spent roughly six months building a first version of the product before making it public through a technology explainer article, a Hacker News post and a Product Hunt launch, which brought about 500 sign-ups in the first few days.

The company was co-founded by two long-time friends, one of whom (the author of the company blog post) previously spent three years as a product leader at the New York technology startup NewsCred, where relationships with the co-founders led to investor introductions. The company positions itself around the market for game streaming software, and notes that few companies in New York work on low-latency video streaming.

Founding story

The two co-founders met while one was in his final years of college, introduced through the other's girlfriend (later wife), and had been friends for about a decade before founding the company. Before starting Parsec, one co-founder spent several years building relationships with New York seed investors and three years at the NYC startup NewsCred as a product leader, relationships that later produced introductions to the investors who funded the company. The team built the first version of the product over roughly six months before launching publicly.

Traction

About 500 people signed up and tried the software in the first couple of days after the initial launch posts; early users provided public feedback on Reddit and other social media that investors reviewed before investing.

Latest developments

The company disclosed and publicly discussed the closing of its seed round, led by Lerer Hippeau Ventures with participation from Notation Capital and NextView Ventures.