1243: How an MIT Astrophysicist Hacked His Own Depression with Data... and How it Can Transform Your Productivity w/ Jake Hartman
In today's episode we sit down with Jake Hartman, an astrophysicist-turned-entrepreneur who transformed his personal struggle with depression into a powerful tech solution. Jake shares his incredible journey from studying neutron stars at MIT and working at Google to building q.buzz, an app designed for longitudinal surveys—or, in simple terms, tracking things over time to see real patterns and progress. This episode is a masterclass in how to turn a personal problem into a scalable business idea. You’ll learn how the same principles used to analyze galaxies can be applied to understand your own habits, improve your mental health, and even track your business's success. Jake’s story is proof that your most unique experiences are your greatest entrepreneurial assets.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
- How to turn a deeply personal problem into a viable, scalable business solution.
- Why the principles of time-domain analysis (tracking change over time) are a secret weapon for personal and professional growth.
- A guerrilla go-to-market strategy using niche online communities like Reddit to find your first users.
- How to leverage AI not just for your business, but to give your customers a personalized, private coaching experience.
- The power of "chunking" your workdays to maximize productivity and avoid burnout as a solo founder.
- Why you don’t need a perfect business plan to start building; sometimes, you just need to start coding.
- A founder's perspective on product roadmaps, iteration, and knowing when to pivot from tinkering to strategic planning.
📝 About Jake Hartman
Jake Hartman is the founder of q.buzz and a former astrophysicist with a Ph.D. from MIT. His impressive career includes stints at IBM Research, the Naval Research Lab, and Google, where he worked on complex data analysis and software engineering projects. Driven by a desire to apply his analytical skills to a more personal domain, Jake created q.buzz after using data tracking to overcome his own battle with depression. His unique background in analyzing how things change over time—from spinning pulsars to user behavior on Google Drive—gives him a powerful and distinct perspective on building tools for personal development and accountability.
🎯 Jake’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
"Persistence is the most important ingredient. It’s not about finding a minimum viable product and becoming an overnight success; it’s about substantial iteration, listening, and grinding. Be willing to do the work and be organized about it, and the work will get done—it’s almost magical."
📢 Memorable Quotes
- "I did not sit down and say, I want to make a business. I sat down and I started writing code and eventually I had enough code that I thought, wait a second, this could be a business."
- "Here's a chance to actually be able to use AI for yourself in a way that analyzes your life like these tech companies are doing, but in a way that is totally private and totally personal just to you."
💡 Actionable Takeaways
- Identify a recurring problem or question in your own life. Start tracking data around it—even simple notes—to see what patterns you can uncover.
- Think about how tracking progress over time could benefit your customers. Could you build a "longitudinal" feature into your own product or service?
🔗 Links & Resources
