The teenager, best known for co-founding the calorie-tracking app Cal AI, has launched another artificial intelligence startup called Persona, months after his previous company was acquired by MyFitnessPal. At just 19, American entrepreneur Zach Yadegari has already sold two businesses and secured $10 million in funding for his latest venture.
The funding round was led by Vine Ventures, with participation from Z Fellows founder Cory Levy and Collective Global, according to an October 8 report by TechCrunch . In March 2026, MyFitnessPal announced its acquisition of Cal AI for an undisclosed amount. The company told TechCrunch that the app had surpassed 15 million downloads and generated more than $30 million in annual revenue within two years.
The platform allowed students to access games that were otherwise blocked on school networks.
He started developing software at an early age and created a gaming website called Totally Science while attending school, according to Business Insider .
Its ability to compete with established AI assistants remains to be seen.
Persona is currently available in beta through iMessage and has attracted “a few thousand beta users”, according to Yadegari.
