Cal AI is a mobile app that allows users to track the calories and macros of their food by taking a picture. Created by two 18-year-old teenagers, Zach Yadegari and Henry Langmack, both of whom are still in high school, the app has gained significant success. Launched in May 2024, Cal AI quickly surpassed 5 million downloads.
The app’s functionality is simple: users take a picture of the food they are about to eat, and the app logs the calories and nutritional information based on the image. This feature is especially useful for those on diets or looking to maintain a healthy diet. Cal AI is highly rated, with a 4.8-star rating on both the Apple App Store and Google Play, and it has received hundreds of thousands of positive reviews.
What sets Cal AI apart from other similar apps is its use of advanced artificial intelligence technologies. The app employs image recognition and AI models to identify food with high accuracy. By integrating models from companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, Cal AI provides more precise results. During development, the team encountered challenges such as recognizing different types of food and correctly identifying ingredients in mixed bowls, but these issues have been resolved, and the app now offers 90% accuracy.
Zach Yadegari, one of the founders, was introduced to programming in middle school, where he honed his skills in Python and C#. At 16, he launched his first business, which he sold for $100,000. After the sale, Yadegari and Langmack moved to San Francisco to build their startup, working from a hacker house to create the Cal AI prototype.
Yadegari has also experienced the "Silicon Valley" culture that many young entrepreneurs face. However, he does not see his future only in tech. He plans to continue his education and attend college.
The story of these young entrepreneurs demonstrates that age is not a barrier to success in the tech world. Cal AI’s success proves that, despite their youth, they can break into the global market with a great idea and advanced technological skills. The founders believe this success is just the beginning and plan to continue improving the app in the future.
