Zach Yadegari, an 18-year-old student at the University of Miami, is also the CEO of Cal AI — a calorie-tracking app that reportedly earns Rs 12 crore (approximately $1.4 million) in monthly gross profit. The app uses artificial intelligence to estimate calories from food photos and has already amassed over 8 million downloads since its launch in May 2024.
Speaking about his journey, Yadegari told CNBC Make It that, inspired by online games like Minecraft, he started coding at seven. His mother enrolled him in a summer coding camp, and he later taught himself through YouTube tutorials and direct outreach to developers. “You’re either good or not good at what you do, and then the market will decide,” he said.
Cal AI was born out of a personal frustration: manually logging meals while trying to get fit in high school. Yadegari teamed up with three friends — including fellow coder Henry Langmack and serial entrepreneur Blake Anderson — to build an AI model that could automate calorie tracking. The app is free to download, with subscriptions priced at $2.49 (about Rs 220) a month or $29.99 (about Rs 2.650) a year.
The startup’s first month brought in $28,000 (about Rs 25 lakh) in revenue, followed by $115,000 (about Rs 1 crore) the next. Today, Cal AI has 30 employees and earns nearly $274,000 (about Rs 2.4 crore) in monthly net operating income, according to internal documents reviewed by CNBC.
Despite the app’s success, Yadegari still attends college — for now. He lives in an off-campus mansion with friends and has posted videos of his Lamborghini with a “CAL AI” license plate. He told the publication he works 40 hours a week on the app while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
Yadegari plans to run Cal AI for two more years before selling or handing it off. “My parents are really happy with everything with Cal AI, especially my mom. She actually uses the app,” he said. “Overall, they’re really proud.”
The teen's long-term goal is to build another AI company — one that shapes the future and becomes part of his legacy.
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