Cal AI, established in 2024, experienced a massive surge in online visibility largely due to Yadegari's strategy of utilizing a network of influencers. The company generated over $30 million in revenue within two years and was subsequently acquired by MyFitnessPal in March for an undisclosed sum.
Discussing his social strategy on stage, Yadegari highlighted an early indicator of success when an influencer's post generated approximately one thousand new users over a two-day period.
“From there, we figured out, okay, this can actually work for us, and so we started recruiting influencers as fast as we could — paying as many people as possible to start posting for us,” he remarked. “What we saw was that it was a clear formula. It was pretty linear, but it was extremely fast. I guess linear in the sense that every post they did would get a certain number of viewers that would convert.”
The Forbes 30 Under 30 alumnus explained that part of the strategy involved negotiating rates with influencers, offering fixed payouts based on specific reach targets. Yadegari noted that many influencers are “broke college kids” who “just want cash.” “You just ask them, okay, we’ll pay you this, but we need to get us at least this amount of use and keep posting until you get there.”
Another critical component of their success was identifying influencers with quantifiable, tight-knit communities. “The biggest thing for us was finding influencers that had very tight communities,” the founder stated.
Yadegari, whose father was in the audience, credited his family for providing the freedom to pursue his ambitions. Regarding higher education, he offered a different perspective.
“I think the only real reason to go to college is if you want to have a fun social time as a kid and be with other people,” he said, eliciting laughter from the crowd.
Earlier this month, Yadegari launched Persona, a new AI agent startup that has already secured $10 million in funding.
Yadegari described the “overarching mission” of Persona as making computing seamless with human life. The company’s personal AI assistant will operate wherever there is internet connectivity, including platforms like iMessage, apps, email, and phone calls. He added that a distinguishing feature of their plans is the development of a “hardware ecosystem around” the application.
The Editorial Staff at AIChief is a team of professional content writers with extensive experience in AI and marketing. Founded in 2025, AIChief has quickly grown into the largest free AI resource hub in the industry.