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As editors of the Forbes 30 Under 30 lists, we’ve noticed there are two kinds of founders: Those who start with a bold idea and learn the business skills along the way, and those who already have the business instincts and are simply hunting for the right idea.

Zach Yadegari is the latter. He’s been building all kinds of apps for years, from websites that let students access blocked games during school to alarm clocks that play motivational soundbites. When he met Henry Langmack at coding camp at 10, and they joined forces, that pace only accelerated.

“We were going to just keep releasing new apps until we found one that really stood out and felt like it had real potential,” Yadegari says. “Then we’d double down and go all-in.”

That app was Cal AI, an AI-powered calorie tracker and a 2026 Under 30 company. This week, the cofounders announced they sold the app to MyFitnessPal after scaling it to $30 million in revenue last year.

The premise behind Cal AI is simple, though somewhat controversial. Users snap a photo of their food, and the app estimates the number of calories it contains. Critics argue that AI can’t reliably account for variables like cooking oils or portion sizes. Yadegari says it's been a trial and error process, and as of today the app maintains “a little over 90% accuracy on average.” He frames it as a practical tool rather than a perfect one.

“When you’re at a restaurant, there’s no food scale—at least I hope you’re not bringing one—and there’s no barcode on the plate to scan either,” he says. “Taking the picture is your best option and the only way that you could still stay on track while you’re having a normal life.”

In reality, only about 30% of the calories logged on Cal AI come from the photo feature that made it famous. Most users track their food the traditional way, by weighing portions or scanning barcodes.

Cal AI also isn’t the only photo-based calorie tracker on the market. Apps like MyNetDiary offer similar tools, often as premium features. What set Cal AI apart was its marketing. The company poured its efforts into TikTok, tapping into a generation fixated on macros in the Ozempic era. More than 15 million users have downloaded Cal AI, many of whom pay $30 a year.

“The marketing was crucial, very crucial,” Yadegari says. “The product was built around marketing. Making sure it had such a clean, simple, elegant design and feel, that it could be understood within three seconds of a TikTok.”

Yadegari first approached MyFitnessPal and a few other nutrition startups last May, when he was graduating high school. His hope was to perhaps enter college as a normal student. Nothing came of it at first, then the conversation picked up again in October.

While neither party has disclosed the terms of the sale, Cal AI says its projecting $50 million in 2026 revenue. The seven employees at Cal AI, along with Yadegari himself, will be joining the team at MyFitnessPal.

Yadegari, now 19, doesn’t even think of this app as his big break, and admits he could have waited to make an even bigger sale. But, he says, “Building a calorie tracking app wasn’t my north star. I was ready to move on and climb the stepping stones of building a company that’s more impactful. I want to build a billion-dollar company next.”

More next week,

Zoya & Alex

The Under 30 Summit Is Less Than 60 Days Away. Register Now.

For the first time, Forbes is heading to Phoenix, AZ from April 19–22 to unlock that southwest energy at the 2026 Forbes Under 30 Summit. And we’re celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Under 30 list. You don’t want to miss this. Register today.

The Anthropic Cofounders Standing Up To Trump

Billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman have been ridiculed for kowtowing to President Trump. But Dario Amodei, the cofounder of Anthropic which he started with sister Daniela, has refused to cave. The decision may be behind Claude’s surge to the top of the App Store, Forbes writes.

Lister Lowdown

-Eight Sleep is now a $1.5 billion company. The smart mattress startup cofounded by Alexandra Zatarain, who made the Under 30 list in 2017, makes a mattress technology that changes the elevation and temperature of your mattress while you sleep—along with selling pillow covers and thermal blankets. This week, they closed a $50 million strategic round led by Tether Investments, valuing the company at the $1.5 billion mark.

-Thomas Cecil made Under 30’s local Miami list in 2023 for founding Clyde AI, which used algorithms to assess transaction data and find low-risk bank loan customers. He sold the startup to billion dollar fintech company Array in 2023. In 2024, he cofounded another financial platform Payra, a B2B payments automation platform. Last month, the startup announced it raised $15 million from Edison Partners.

-To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, five Under 30 listers hosted a convention of more than 60 young adults to draft and sign a declaration outlining their vision and commitments for America’s next 250 years. The event was led by Alex Edgar (Social Impact ’26), Dillon St. Bernard (Media ’24), Anatola Araba (Art & Style ’25), Arielle Geismar (Social Media ’25), and Idris Brewster (Education ’21).

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