MyFitnessPal officially announced the acquisition of Cal AI, a viral, AI-powered nutrition app founded by 19-year-old Zach Yadegari and his high school friend Henry Langmack.
While the exact final sale price was not disclosed in the official press release, the deal is being widely reported as a major win for the “teen-built” startup, which was generating between $40 million and $50 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) at the time of the sale.
The Success of Cal AI
Zach Yadegari, who started coding at age 7 and built his first successful website at 14, founded Cal AI while still a high school student at Roslyn High School on Long Island.
- The Problem: Zach found legacy apps like MyFitnessPal too tedious to use, often quitting after just a few days of manual logging.
- The Solution: Cal AI uses “point-and-shoot” technology—users take a photo of their food, and the AI instantly estimates calories, protein, fats, and carbs.
- Rapid Growth: Within 18 months, the app amassed over 15 million downloads and reached a monthly revenue peak of $3 million to $4 million.
- Viral Marketing: Much of the app’s success was driven by a sophisticated influencer marketing engine that Zach built himself, allowing the app to dominate TikTok and Instagram fitness trends.
The Acquisition Details
The deal was finalized on March 2, 2026, following nearly a year of discussions.
| Detail | Status |
| Buyer | MyFitnessPal (Owned by Francisco Partners) |
| Seller | Zach Yadegari & Henry Langmack (Cal AI Founders) |
| Operational Status | Cal AI will remain a standalone app focused on its lightweight, AI-first UX. |
| Integration | Cal AI now has access to MyFitnessPal’s database of 20 million foods. |
| Team | The seven-person Cal AI team has officially joined MyFitnessPal. |
Strategic Pivot for MyFitnessPal
This acquisition is part of a broader “buy-rather-than-build” strategy for MyFitnessPal to capture Gen Z users:
- The Competition: Younger users increasingly prefer the “low-friction” experience of AI-native tools over the comprehensive, manual databases of legacy platforms.
- Consolidation: This follows MyFitnessPal’s 2025 acquisition of the meal-planning app Intent and its integration with ChatGPT Health.
- Expansion: MyFitnessPal CEO Mike Fisher noted that the deal allows the company to serve the “full spectrum” of users—from those wanting deep scientific tracking to performance-oriented users who want a 5-second logging experience.
The “Prodigy” Legacy
Before selling Cal AI, Zach Yadegari had already sold his first business, a gaming website called Totally Science, for six figures at age 14. Despite his massive success, he recently made headlines for being rejected by every Ivy League school he applied to, despite a 4.0 GPA and a 34 ACT score—a fact he often cites as evidence that the “traditional education box” isn’t built for entrepreneurs.
