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Two Teenagers Built 'Cal AI', a Photo Calorie App With Over a Million Users - Slashdot

Apr 05, 2025 - slashdot.org
Zach Yadegari, an 18-year-old high school student, co-founded Cal AI with Henry Langmack, achieving over 5 million downloads and $2 million in revenue within eight months of its launch. The app, which logs calories and macros from food photos, boasts a customer retention rate of over 30%. Unlike competitors like MyFitnessPal and SnapCalorie, Cal AI leverages large image models from Anthropic and OpenAI to enhance accuracy, claiming 90% accuracy in recognizing food items.

Yadegari's journey began with mastering programming languages like Python and C# in middle school and founding his first business, Totally Science, in ninth grade, which he sold for $100,000. After the sale, he delved into the startup ecosystem, connecting with co-founder Blake Anderson, known for ChatGPT-powered apps. Together, they developed Cal AI in a San Francisco hacker house, utilizing open-source food databases and overcoming technical challenges to create their successful app.

Key takeaways:

  • Cal AI, founded by 18-year-olds Zach Yadegari and Henry Langmack, has achieved over 5 million downloads and $2 million in revenue in eight months.
  • The app logs calories and macros by analyzing pictures of food, using advanced image models from Anthropic and OpenAI.
  • Yadegari began coding in middle school and previously sold a website called Totally Science for $100,000 at age 16.
  • Cal AI was developed in a hacker house in San Francisco, leveraging Yadegari's networking and startup experience.
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