The essay is based on a conversation with Jake Castillo, 30-year-old co-founder of Cal AI, a California-based AI-powered nutrition and food tracking app. Business Insider confirmed this artistically mentioned financial claim. This story has been edited for length and clarity.
Right after my master's degree, I worked in administrative consulting and hated it. I quickly looked for something I disliked less than I paid a comparable salary.
After seeing the founder's post on Twitter about his business expansion, I joined an AI startup part-time. At the startup, he won a high school intern named Zach. I called with him and aimed to ensure he got something out of his experience.
Zach left the internship to focus on his school and his own projects, and I decided that I had enough of my studies and had made enough connections to be ready to start my own e-commerce business, leaving both part-time startup and consulting roles.
Shortly after I left, Zack called me and asked me to help him with his new app. The first few months were tough and I remember not leaving my room for days at a time because the work was so intense. However, about a year later, it generates more than $1 million in profits each month.
Soon I realized that Zack wasn't your normal 16 year old.
When Zach began working with us as an intern in early 2024, I remember asking my boss what he would do during his internship. I didn't think that was the best way to make a fruitful experience for him.
I introduced myself to him and neglected him to learn what he wanted to get from now on. He was working on side projects and was thinking about how to distribute and sell those products. We started jumping on the phone to talk about what I was trying to do and some of the processes he should run.
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Two months after an internship, he left to double what he was working on. I wished him the best and that was the end of it. It wasn't three months later that he reached out to him again. That was when he asked me to join his new app and it changed everything.
When he asked me to join the team, it was the most important call of my life.
Zack called me and said he had a new app that was growing pretty fast and said that if I was doing it I could use my help managing it. It was the perfect timing. Cal AI, an app for the AI Calorie Tracking app, was launched at the end of April 2024 and joined in early May as one of the co-founders.
My role is to be a hybrid of CMO and COO. Here we manage our marketing team and oversee all our operations. Initially, we were hungry and obsessed, so we wanted to be successful rather than breathing. I hated a lot of time in management consulting, but those times were nothing compared to what we put in.
I was older than anyone on the team and my life was different. It cost me and I was planning to offer it to my then girlfriend at the end of the year. As we scaled, I didn't do anything to spend the money, so it wasn't that difficult. I didn't leave my room. There was a day when I realized I hadn't been outside for a week.
What is it like to work with a young founder?
Many people ask me about the fact that the founding team is very young, there is no “boss” structure, we are all on equal footing and we don't have a hard time working with each other. It's amazing. What surprised me the most about Zack is how he doesn't let him lead fear or uncertainty. He trusts and aligns with his intuition.
From left to right: Zach Yadegali, Henry Langmack, former California AI employee Rylan, Jake Castillo Courtesy of Jake Castillo
We grew rapidly. I think the biggest key is that we are all obsessed with what we do. We have Cal Ai copycats with very similar products and marketing strategies, but there is not even a small part of our success. Currently, we have around $3 million in revenue per month and more than $1 million.
I have had an impact that I dreamed of making in my career
It's really cool that our app has been downloaded by millions. People are digging us on Instagram, emailing us, sending us messages on apps, talking about how they lost weight and how their lives have changed since downloading the app.
I can't even clarify how good it feels, especially since I remember how disillusioned I felt when I felt I was reviewing a PowerPoint deck thinking it would make a difference. It's like your dreams will come true.
You don't know who in your network will change your life
When I talk about how Karuai has turned out, I always talk to people. I wanted to ensure his good experience, so I was able to join the Cal AI team just because I sent a slack message to my intern. That simple decision completely changed my life.
They treat everyone as if they were Apple's future CEO or the next billion dollar company.
Have you heard of the founder? Please contact this reporter, Agnes Applegate aapplegate@businessinsider.com.
