Key Moments
Zach Yadegari: Selling Cal Ai for millions at 18-years-old
Key Moments
18-year-old Zach Yadegari sold his app Cali to MyFitnessPal after achieving $30M ARR, attributing success to paid ads, influencer marketing, and team building.
Key Insights
Zach Yadegari sold his company, Cali, to MyFitnessPal at 18 years old, having achieved $30 million in revenue in 2025 and a run rate of over $50 million ARR.
The growth of Cali was fueled by a multi-channel strategy, evolving from influencer marketing to performance ads on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Key to scaling paid ads was a unique attribution method using custom product pages on the App Store and a shift towards direct-response creative content.
Influencer marketing, including a significant deal with Mr. Beast, built brand authority and social credit, even if not immediately profitable from a direct conversion standpoint.
Building a strong, talented team was crucial for scaling the business, enabling the founder to eventually step away from day-to-day operations.
The app industry is highly accessible for aspiring entrepreneurs, with no-coding tools and a focus on marketing and creative strategy being more critical than technical development alone.
THE ACQUISITION OF CALI
At 18 years old, Zach Yadegari successfully sold his company, Cali, to MyFitnessPal. This landmark achievement followed a period of rapid growth, with Cali generating $30 million in revenue in 2025 and reaching an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of approximately $50 million at the time of the sale. By January, the company was achieving $5.7 million in revenue, demonstrating a strong upward trajectory. The acquisition by MyFitnessPal, a major player in the fitness app space, was a strategic move driven by a shared mission to help a greater number of people achieve their health and fitness goals through combined resources and apps.
STRATEGIC GROWTH AND MARKETING EVOLUTION
Cali's growth journey was marked by a strategic evolution in its marketing and distribution channels. Initially, the app heavily relied on influencer marketing, which successfully scaled revenue to about $2 million per month. As this channel saturated, the company broadened its scope by collaborating with non-fitness influencers and, more significantly, by investing heavily in performance advertising, particularly on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. This shift to paid ads unlocked a new level of growth, propelling the company towards its $5.7 million monthly revenue milestone.
INNOVATIVE PAID ADVERTISING AND ATTRIBUTION
A key factor in Cali's scaling was its innovative approach to paid advertising and attribution. Yadegari details a sophisticated method using custom product pages on the App Store, linked directly from Facebook ads. This allowed for precise tracking of revenue generated by specific ad campaigns, though it required an estimated 30% uplift to account for users who saw the ad but searched for the app directly. This detailed tracking enabled profitability assessments and informed campaign optimization, moving beyond subjective estimations.
THE POWER OF INFLUENCER MARKETING AND BRAND AUTHORITY
While performance ads became a major growth driver, influencer marketing, including a notable collaboration with Mr. Beast for half a million dollars, played a significant role in building Cali's brand authority and social credibility. Although the Mr. Beast campaign was initially slightly unprofitable from direct conversions, it provided immense brand awareness and social proof. This enhanced authority facilitated future partnerships, attracted more creators, and improved deal-making, demonstrating a strong backend value that complemented upfront ad performance.
BUILDING A HIGH-PERFORMING TEAM
As Cali scaled, a critical focus shifted to building and managing a talented team. Yadegari emphasizes that investing in experienced individuals was paramount to the company's continuous growth. By bringing on people with diverse skills and experience, the company gained momentum and innovative ideas, allowing the business to operate and grow effectively even when the founder wasn't directly involved in every aspect. Having a team of over 30 people, including specialized marketing, design, and development teams, alongside virtual assistants, was instrumental in reaching the company's valuation.
FUTURE OF APP DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Yadegari firmly believes that it's an excellent time to build apps, citing the increasing ease of development through no-code tools and the effectiveness of marketing strategies. He stresses the importance of a strong marketing and creative skillset over deep technical coding knowledge, as acquisition platforms are accessible and algorithm-driven. The focus should be on identifying problems, creating compelling content, and leveraging platforms to reach target audiences, with an emphasis on speed, iteration, and strong self-belief as core entrepreneurial principles.
THE ROLE OF COLLEGE AND ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION
While Yadegari initially attended college for social reasons, he suggests it's not essential for aspiring app entrepreneurs. He advocates for practical, problem-solving education that integrates current tools and fosters innovation, rather than rote memorization. His ideal curriculum would involve hands-on app building, customer acquisition, and emphasis on skills like marketing and creative strategy. He also draws parallels to his own past experiences, highlighting the importance of self-belief, clear communication, and complementary co-founder skillsets.
THE VALUE OF SPEED AND BELIEF
Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, Yadegari identified 'speed' as Cali's number one motto and core value. This meant aggressively identifying and removing bottlenecks to ensure rapid progress on all fronts. Coupled with an immense self-belief, cultivated from early childhood successes, this mindset allowed him to tackle challenges with confidence. He believes that positive self-talk and consistently affirming future success, even amidst uncertainty, are crucial for instilling the necessary conviction to achieve ambitious goals.
Mentioned in This Episode
●Software & Apps
●Companies
●People Referenced
Cali Growth Metrics
Data extracted from this episode
| Time Period | Monthly Revenue | Annual Revenue (ARR) |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5 years ago (age 17) | $1 million | N/A |
| Prior to college (age unknown) | $3 million | N/A |
| 2025 Full Year | N/A | $30 million |
| January (post-acquisition) | $5.7 million | ~$50 million |
Common Questions
Zach Yadegari could not reveal the exact sale price of Cali to My Fitness Pal, but the company achieved $30 million in revenue in 2025 and had a run rate of over $50 million in January, with an ARR of approximately $50 million at the time of sale.
Topics
Mentioned in this video
Co-founder of Cali, who served as a hands-on advisor with expertise in go-to-market strategies, influencer marketing, and product design.
Co-founder and CTO of Cali. He met Zach at coding camp and has a long history of working on projects together.
His philosophy on how words become thoughts and thoughts become beliefs is mentioned in the context of instilling self-belief through language.
The guest on the podcast, who sold his company Cali for millions at 18 years old. He discusses his journey from founding the app to its acquisition.
Co-founder and CMOCO of Cali, responsible for implementing systems to scale influencer marketing effectively and maintain organization.
His quote 'I disagree, but I commit' is cited as an example of mutual respect in business partnerships.
A mobile measurement partner (MMP) tool used for app attribution, mentioned as a way to track ad performance.
An app built on Ror by a friend of Zach's that achieved $30,000 in monthly revenue.
A platform recommended for building high-quality apps with no-code tools.
A no-code platform mentioned as a tool for building apps, with an example of a friend building an app that made $30,000/month.
The app developed by Zach Yadegari that was sold to My Fitness Pal. It focused on calorie tracking and was a significant success, reaching $50 million in ARR.
An app built on Ror by a friend of Zach's that achieved $30,000 in monthly revenue.
Mentioned in the context of privacy rules that affect ad tracking and data transmission for apps.
A social media and advertising platform where Cali ran performance ads and influencer campaigns.
The advertising platform used for running ads, with discussions on campaign structures, targeting, and creative strategies.
A social media platform where Cali ran performance ads and influencers posted content.
The platform used for communication within the affiliate program community.
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