About

The inspiration for Tabmega came from my own frustrations over the years.

As a chemical engineering student, I used Python for data analysis but found it cumbersome. Simply setting up a development environment with popular Python libraries like NumPy and Matplotlib felt difficult back in 2010. Even once everything was set up, programming felt like a slow and rigid way to explore data. I wanted to quickly filter, sort, and visualize information, but each small change required modifying code, rerunning scripts, and debugging errors.

After college, I worked in management consulting and discovered the power of Microsoft Excel. Its intuitive, visual nature made data exploration feel effortless compared to traditional programming. I mastered pivot tables, complex formulas, and keyboard shortcuts, feeling like a data wizard. However, my confidence took a hit when I encountered datasets over a million rows on two different projects. I ran into the Excel row limit and was forced to rely on SQL specialists. As someone who values technical skills, I hated feeling dependent on others just to dig into data.

I then became a product manager at Snapchat where I worked with some of the best software engineers in the world. At Snapchat, I noticed something interesting — when datasets were small, even top engineers preferred analyzing data in Google Sheets instead of Python notebooks or SQL. It reinforced my belief that spreadsheets are the most intuitive data tool.

Alongside my professional career, I always enjoyed tinkering with technical side projects. I built small games, automated tedious tasks, and developed several apps — simply for the joy of learning and creating. In early 2024 I discovered DuckDB when working on a side project, and it was a game-changer. It let me analyze millions of rows instantly on my laptop. Inspired, I built a spreadsheet interface on top of DuckDB as a proof of concept. When I showed it to friends, their enthusiasm encouraged me to start a company and commit to building it.

Tabmega is still in its early days, but I think it already offers a unique solution for analyzing large CSV files locally. Please try Tabmega and share your feedback! Early users have helped refine features and improve usability, and I'm eager to continue shaping the product based on your suggestions.

- Jack Blackwood, Tabmega Founder