Empowering Youth: How a Teenage CEO Transformed Their Passion into a Booming Calorie-Tracking App
Eighteen-year-old Zach Yadegari is carving out a unique path as he prepares for college, but unlike many of his peers, he isn’t planning to linger in academia. As co-founder and CEO of Cal AI, a calorie-tracking mobile app launched in May 2024, he envisions a future driven by entrepreneurship rather than traditional education. Based in Roslyn, New York, Yadegari’s app leverages artificial intelligence to provide users with calorie estimates from food photos, boasting a 90% accuracy rate. Available for free on both Apple and Google Play, the app offers subscription options at $2.49 per month or $29.99 annually.
Cal AI has quickly captured attention, generating approximately $1.4 million in gross profit each month after app store fees, according to internal company documents seen by CNBC Make It. This profit includes nearly $274,000 in monthly net operating income. Despite starting classes at the University of Miami’s business school in August, Yadegari is already contemplating leaving after just one year to focus solely on Cal AI.
On social media, he portrays a lavish lifestyle indicative of startup culture, sharing videos from an off-campus mansion and showcasing a recent Lamborghini adorned with a “CAL AI” license plate. In one Instagram post, he boasts about living rent-free while engaging in various leisure activities, embodying the entrepreneurial spirit of a young CEO.
Yadegari’s journey into entrepreneurship began at an early age. He started coding at just 7 years old, spurred by a passion for gaming nurtured by his mother who enrolled him in a software coding camp. By high school, he had already created a successful gaming website called Totally Science, which he sold for approximately $100,000. This experience propelled him toward his next venture-Cal AI.
Inspired by his personal struggles with tedious fitness tracking, Yadegari, along with friends, developed Cal AI as a solution. They took a calculated risk, investing $2,000 in a social media marketing pilot that paid off, with revenue spiraling from $28,000 in the first month to $115,000 the subsequent month. As the startup flourished, Yadegari assumed a significant role, dedicating 40 hours a week to coding and brainstorming features while balancing academic commitments and maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
Cal AI may seem straightforward, but the business faces expensive operational challenges, spending roughly $770,000 monthly on advertising and marketing alone. To sustain its reputation on app platforms, the app must address user complaints regarding accuracy, requiring manual input for undetected food items. Yadegari points out that some user expectations exceed the app’s current capabilities, clarifying that while the technology is advanced, it is far from infallible.
With aspirations to make Cal AI a leading player in the calorie-tracking market, he aims to rival industry leader MyFitnessPal, which claims over 270 million users. Cal AI has reported over 8.3 million downloads by July, and as he oversees a team now supporting families, Yadegari recognizes the weight of his responsibilities.
Looking ahead, he plans to run Cal AI for just another two years before seeking new challenges. With ambitions steeped in the future of AI, he hopes his next venture will leave a legacy beyond mere business success. “I want to shape the future and dedicate most of my life to it,” he states, emphasizing his commitment to innovative entrepreneurship.
By prioritizing the latest trends in entrepreneurship and self-improvement, as well as maintaining a strong digital presence, aspiring entrepreneurs can find inspiration in Yadegari’s story. To learn more about building a standout personal brand, interested readers can explore CNBC Make It’s new course offerings.
Original Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/06/cal-ai-how-a-teenage-ceo-built-a-fast-growing-calorie-tracking-app.html
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Publish Date: 2025-09-06 19:35:00
