TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Cal AI’s Zach Yadegari on how to create viral growth and capitalize on it

What happens when the app you started in high school goes viral?

For Zach Yadegari, the answer was more than 15 million downloads, $30 million in annual revenue, and an acquisition by MyFitnessPal — all before his 20th birthday. Yadegari was just 17 when he co-founded Cal AI, the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered nutrition app that lets users track what they eat by snapping a photo.

But those numbers leave out the part most founders would like to know: How did Cal AI get that kind of viral attention in the first place? And once millions of people showed up, how did the company make the most of that momentum?

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, Yadegari will take the Builders Stage for a fireside chat on “How to Create Viral Growth and Capitalize On It.” He’ll get into Cal AI’s rapid growth, the product pressure that came with it, and the challenge of turning breakout attention into durable retention and long-term company building.

Image Credits:TechCrunch

Trying to break through in a crowded market? Save up to $200 when you secure your pass by September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT and hear what Yadegari learned building a breakout consumer app. Got a colleague who’d like to join? Get a second pass for 50% off.

How did Cal AI turn viral growth into a $30 million business?

Cal AI is built around a simple proposition: Snap a photo of a meal, and the app uses image recognition and the phone’s depth sensor to calculate calories, protein, carbs, and fat.

Yadegari was still a high school senior when he co-founded Cal AI, but it wasn’t his first experience attracting a large online audience. At 16, he sold Totally Science, a gaming platform he founded that drew more than 5 million users during the COVID-19 pandemic, for six figures.

Cal AI moved even faster. In less than two years, it had more than 15 million downloads and was generating more than $30 million in annual revenue. MyFitnessPal took notice, acquiring the company in a deal that closed in December 2025. The deal kept Cal AI as a standalone app, retained its seven-person team, and left Yadegari at the helm.

At Disrupt, Yadegari will share what Cal AI learned about building in a distribution-driven market where a product can find a massive audience fast — and what it takes to exploit that viral growth when it happens. 

Chasing your own breakout moment? Get your Disrupt ticket to learn from Cal AI’s story. Save up to $200 on your pass and get a second pass for 50% off select ticket types. Secure your ticket by September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

What can founders learn from Cal AI’s rapid rise?

For founders chasing growth, Yadegari’s story offers a look at both sides of a viral breakout: how a product finds a massive audience and what it takes to turn that attention into durable retention and long-term company building.

Yadegari’s fireside chat is one of 200+ sessions across six industry stages at Disrupt, October 13–15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. More than 10,000 founders, investors, operators and tech leaders are expected, along with 250+ speakers, roundtables and breakouts, and 300+ exhibiting startups.

Beyond the agenda, matchmaking, dealmaking and networking give founders opportunities to connect with investors, potential customers, partners and other builders working through many of the same challenges.

These are the last two days to save up to $200 on your Disrupt pass. Secure your ticket by September 25 at 11:59 p.m. PT — and get a second pass for 50% off select ticket types. Lock in your savings to hear Zach Yadegari share the lessons behind Cal AI’s viral success.

Image Credits:Kimberly White / Getty Images