18-Year-Old CEO Launches $1.4 Million Monthly AI Calorie-Tracking App

Zach Yadegari, just 18 years old, has accomplished what many entrepreneurs spend decades pursuing. His AI-powered calorie-tracking app, Cal AI, generates approximately $1.4 million in gross profit monthly, making him one of the youngest successful startup founders in the tech industry. Launched from his parents’ home in Roslyn, New York in May 2024, the app has already transformed his life and business landscape.

From Gaming to Groundbreaking Innovation

Yadegari’s entrepreneurial journey began at age seven when his mother enrolled him in a coding summer camp. His early venture, a gaming website called Totally Science created during high school, sold for roughly $100,000 to gaming company Freeze Nova in February 2024. However, Cal AI represents his most ambitious project to date. The app uses artificial intelligence to analyze photos of food and estimate calorie content with 90% accuracy, eliminating tedious manual data entry that frustrated Yadegari while working out.

Building a Sustainable Business Model

The app, available on Apple and Google Play stores, operates on a subscription model priced at $2.49 monthly or $29.99 annually. With 8.3 million downloads as of July 2024, Cal AI employs 30 people and reinvests substantially in growth—nearly $770,000 monthly goes toward advertising and marketing. Despite launching his company while maintaining a 4.0 GPA at Roslyn High School, Yadegari recently began undergraduate studies at the University of Miami’s business school.

Yadegari plans to run Cal AI for approximately two more years before selling or transitioning leadership to pursue his next venture. His ultimate vision: creating businesses that shape the future and become part of his lasting legacy in the technology industry.