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Hamid Abbas

Co-founder, Parsel

Social commerce

Hamid Abbas co-founded Parsel, a Toronto social-commerce startup that let YouTube and Instagram creators sell the products featured in their videos, and was its chief technology officer. Parsel's founders page said he directed the company's technical strategy and held a computer science degree from York University. The Globe and Mail dated the company's founding to 2014.

Hamid hasn’t spoken on a TechTO, TechVancouver or TechWaterloo stage. This profile is here because Hamid co-founded Parsel, which appears in 1 talk in the archive.

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Quick answers

Did Hamid Abbas co-found Parsel?

Yes. The Globe and Mail reported on January 21, 2016 that Parsel was "a Toronto-based startup founded by Josh Brandley and Hamid Abbas in 2014." Parsel's own about page, as archived by the Wayback Machine on February 8, 2015, reads: "Co-founders Hamid Abbas (CTO) and Josh Brandley (President)".

What was his role at Parsel?

Chief technology officer. Parsel's founders page, as archived on May 23, 2015, says "Hamid is the co-founder and CTO at Parsel. He directs the technical strategy" and that he "received his degree in Computer Science from York University."

What did Parsel do?

The Globe and Mail reported on January 21, 2016 that Parsel "lets YouTube and Instagram creators set up webpages to sell the products they talk about" and matched creators with companies paying for sponsored videos. The same article said the company had 10 staff and had raised about $1.2 million from angel investors, friends and family.

Is Parsel still operating?

No evidence says it is. Parsel's former domain, parsel.me, when checked on September 23, 2026, served only a "Redirecting..." page rather than the Parsel product.

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Maintained by TechTO · facts sourced and dated · last reviewed Sep 23, 2026