Started Coding at 7, Now 18-Year-Old CEO Makes Rs 12 Crore a Month With His AI Fitness App
Started Coding at 7, Now 18-Year-Old CEO Makes Rs 12 Crore a Month With His AI Fitness App
They say the seeds sown early bear fruit later — and that couldn’t be truer for Zach Yadegari. At an age when most kids are still figuring out what they like, Zach was already diving into code. Now, at just 18, he’s not only a college student but also the CEO of a massively successful AI-powered fitness startup, earning a jaw-dropping Rs 12 crore (around $1.4 million) in gross profit every single month.
Zach’s journey into tech began when he was just 7 years old. Fascinated by online games like Minecraft, he was enrolled by his mother into a summer coding camp. That one decision unlocked his passion. From there, he didn’t stop — learning on his own through YouTube tutorials and even directly reaching out to experienced developers for guidance. Years later, this childhood curiosity laid the foundation for Cal AI — an app that would revolutionize calorie tracking.
The idea for Cal AI came during Zach’s high school fitness journey. Like many trying to get fit, he found manually logging every meal a frustrating chore. He realized that existing calorie-tracking apps weren’t solving the problem — so he decided to create a better one. Teaming up with three friends — fellow coder Henry Langmack, and entrepreneur Blake Anderson among them — Zach co-founded Cal AI in May 2024, launching the app right from his parents’ home in New York.
Their vision was simple but ambitious: use AI to estimate calories from food photos, eliminating the need for manual input. And it clicked — not just with users, but with the market.
Cal AI is free to download, with a premium subscription available at $2.49/month (about Rs 220) or $29.99/year (around Rs 2,650). In its very first month, the app generated $28,000 (Rs 25 lakh) in revenue — a promising start. But the real growth came fast: the next month saw earnings jump to $115,000 (over Rs 1 crore).
Fast forward to today, and the app has crossed 8 million downloads and brings in over $274,000 (around Rs 2.4 crore) in monthly net operating income. Currently, Cal AI employs 30 team members, showing how fast a well-executed idea can scale.
Despite his CEO title and Lamborghini with a personalized “CAL AI” license plate, Zach is still very much a student — for now. He started classes at the University of Miami’s business school in August 2024 and maintains a 4.0 GPA, all while putting in 40 hours a week into running the company. He’s also realistic about the future. Zach plans to continue leading Cal AI for another two years before potentially selling the company or passing on the reins. For now, he’s enjoying the ride — quite literally — while living in a mansion with his friends.
This isn’t Zach’s first successful venture. Before Cal AI, he created a gaming website called Totally Science that allowed students to bypass school internet restrictions to play online games. That site was sold in early 2024 for about $100,000 — another feather in his entrepreneurial cap.
Looking ahead, Zach has no plans to stop. While his parents, especially his mother (now a Cal AI user herself), are proud of his achievements, Zach is already dreaming bigger. His long-term goal? To build another groundbreaking AI company — one that leaves a lasting legacy.
From coding as a curious 7-year-old to running a multi-crore AI startup at 18, Zach Yadegari’s story is living proof that when passion meets perseverance, age becomes just a number. He’s not just a young CEO — he’s a reminder that the work you put in today can shape a future beyond imagination. No matter if you’re 7 or 70, taking the first step toward your dreams can make all the difference.
