Cal AI Co-Founder Zach Yadegari to Take the Builders Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

Cal AI is built around a single proposition: a user snaps a photo of a meal and the app uses image recognition together with the phone's depth sensor to calculate calories, protein, carbohydrates and fat. Yadegari was 17 and a high school senior when he co-founded the company, but it was not his first experience drawing 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 faster. In less than two years it recorded more than 15 million downloads and was generating more than $30 million in annual revenue, according to TechCrunch. MyFitnessPal acquired the company in a deal that closed in December 2025. The acquisition kept Cal AI running as a standalone app, retained its seven-person team and left Yadegari at the helm.

The fireside chat is expected to cover that rapid growth, the product pressure that came with it, and the difficulty of converting breakout attention into durable retention and long-term company building. Yadegari's session is one of more than 200 across six industry stages at Disrupt, which runs October 13 to 15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. Organizers expect more than 10,000 founders, investors, operators and technology leaders, along with more than 250 speakers and 300 exhibiting startups. Alongside the agenda, matchmaking, dealmaking and networking sessions are intended to connect founders with investors, potential customers and partners.

Passes bought by 11:59 p.m. PT on September 25 carry savings of up to $200, and a second pass is available at 50 percent off for select ticket types, TechCrunch said.