Zach Yadegari: Selling Cal Ai for millions at 19-years-old

Quick Overview

Eighteen-year-old Zach Yadegari sold his company, Cali (which achieved $30 million in revenue in 2025 and was running at a $50 million ARR), to My Fitness Pal, which acquired 100% of the company, and he decided to drop out of college to focus on swinging big in the world.

Key Points: Zach Yadegari sold his company, Cali, to My Fitness Pal at age 18 after the company had finished 2025 with $30 million in revenue, with a current ARR of about $50 million. The acquisition was for 100% of the company, and Yadegari is currently helping ensure a smooth transition while planning to start something new later. Yadegari confirmed he is definitely dropping out of college, stating that college was limiting him and he initially attended primarily for the social life. Cali's growth from $1 million to over $3 million per month initially relied on influencer marketing (UGC), but scaling required transitioning to performance ads on TikTok and Instagram. A key insight for performance ads involved using custom product pages on the App Store, linking them directly from Facebook/Instagram ads to get clear, direct revenue data, acknowledging an approximate 30% undercount due to organic search conversions. The most successful paid ad creatives shifted from subtle influencer integrations to direct-response videos explicitly showcasing the app's functionality, leading to scaling up to $40k a day in spend. Yadegari emphasized that creative talent now outweighs technical building skills, stating, "marketing beats just building," and success relies on understanding the algorithm and creative testing.

Context: The transcript captures an interview with Zach Yadegari, who previously appeared on the podcast at age 17 making $1 million per month. The discussion centers around his recent major achievement: selling his app company, Cali, to its major competitor, My Fitness Pal, at age 18, after scaling the business substantially beyond the initial million-dollar monthly revenue mark through strategic marketing pivots and the decision to leave college.