An 18-year-old Long Island high school student is taking the tech world by storm with his innovative AI-powered calorie-tracking app — a project now projected to generate $30 million in revenue this year alone.
Zach Yadegari, the teenage founder of Cal AI, created the app to help users estimate the calorie and macronutrient content of their meals using a simple photo. The app, which leverages advanced machine learning, has already surpassed 5 million downloads — a milestone most startups can only dream of.
“It will be much more accurate than you estimating by yourself just visually,” Yadegari told reporters, explaining that the app uses trained AI models to analyze food items from user-submitted images and deliver near-instant nutritional information.
Yadegari’s path to success began early. He sold his first company at age 16, and has been teaching himself to code since he was 7 years old, mainly by binge-watching YouTube tutorials. Now, while juggling high school and managing a team of 17 employees, he continues to scale his latest tech venture.
Despite a perfect 4.0 GPA and an impressive 34 ACT score, Yadegari says he was rejected by 15 out of 18 colleges he applied to — raising eyebrows about how traditional academic institutions evaluate talent.
His story is fueling debate around whether traditional education is keeping up with modern innovation and entrepreneurship. While some view the college rejection as a snub to raw potential, others say Yadegari is living proof that success doesn’t require a degree.
For now, Yadegari remains focused on growing Cal AI, hinting at more features in development and an expanding team.
“I just want to keep building,” he said. “There’s a lot more we can do.”
