This story is brought to you by Live in Everett Sponsor Abacus.

Much has changed in the past year, but one thing’s for sure: in the era of quarantine and telecommuting, we’re all interacting with each other more through screens. 

Abacus, a new Everett-based internet startup, offers a new way to virtually connect. It brings people together through the joy of making things. It’s a marketplace for skills.

Hop into a virtual classroom and learn bookbinding, screen printing, graphic design, 3D printing, or drum lessons. It’s simple. It’s fun.

You can learn from experts or teach your own skill. 

Join Abacus to round out your resume, grow your brand, or build a portfolio.

It’s virtual learning with a key twist: everything is “hands-on” and you can interact directly with makers. You can ask questions to your instructors and they can provide you with one-on-one direction. 

You could call it the democratization of knowledge. But it seems more fun than that.

Image: Steve Cherewaty made this trebuchet and taught others how to make it from a kit, too. 

Everett resident Steve Cherewaty is the mastermind behind Abacus. I recently met up with him in one of his virtual classrooms to talk about his startup. 

He’s an enthusiastic guy, surrounded by workbenches full of laser printers, cameras, and dust masks. There’s something of the Silicon Valley dreamer about him (indeed, he graduated from the prestigious Founder Institute). 

Three years ago, Steve was let go from his dream job at a spaceship company. 

Suddenly unemployed, Steve channeled his energy into making things. His crafts and hobbies, which he documented on YouTube, became more significant to him during that time. 

“I had five months in 2017 that I went nuts, lost all my fear of learning new things, and decided to try the things that fascinate me. What I found was this incredible passion for building and creating and making things.”

Image: A peek inside a live Abacus classroom!

Steve’s YouTube videos had thousands of views, but he still wasn’t making any money off his content. He also felt like there was another limitation to the YouTube platform: viewers could leave questions or feedback in the comment section of his videos, but there was little back and forth between viewer and maker, little human interaction on a meaningful level.

Steve Cherewaty started to imagine a different model, a different way to share skills.

He got the idea for Abacus while jogging in Everett near Grand Avenue. He heard folks in the alleys of our city, in their garages, working on band saws and lathes. He realized that this was the place to launch a startup that would connect local makers.

“[Abacus] isn’t a Seattle startup,” Steve stresses. “I live in North Everett, and I want to start hiring north of Seattle. This place is amazing.” 

Steve started developing Abacus in 2018 and soft-launched in January 2020. Abacus now offers short courses in leatherworking, soldering, weaving, drone piloting, and more.

“We want to bring the collective consciousness of everyone up,” Steve says. One of his pilot projects was creating and selling a laser-cut trebuchet kit. He made $225 in an hour building them with his customers in a live session offered with the kits.

People were into it -- proof that engaging with a hands-on project in the digital era is extremely gratifying. 

When a maker signs up, subscribes and starts putting their listings online they have a virtual room assigned to them which they can use for these live interactions. Online Abacus sessions are ideal for groups or individuals. These sessions can accommodate tutorials, video walkthroughs, kit assemblies or really anything makers can think of to use the platform. Abacus can do products, but it's really about the live sessions.

Right now Steve is looking for makers to grow his platform. He wants Abacus to become a powerful hub for people who are already doing their thing and want to reach a larger audience. He’s offering 50% off of everything right now as a way to jumpstart his company. 

If you’d like to learn something new, hop on their website and check out what’s offered.

If you’d like to teach a skill or craft, sign up to teach others.

Doing things with others brings joy. Maybe it’s as simple as that.

Learn more about how to become a maker here.

Connect directly with Steve via email here or give Abacus a call at 425-249-9181.

Richard Porter is a writer for Live in Everett.