MyFitnessPal has acquired Cal AI, the viral calorie app built by teens
After wooing Cal AI for months, MyFitnessPal has successfully acquired its up-and-coming rival, Cal AI, the app built by teens soaring on the apps stores.
TL;DR
- MyFitnessPal acquired the AI calorie counting app startup Cal AI.
- Cal AI was built by two high school teenagers and achieved over 15 million downloads and $30 million in annual revenue in under two years.
- MyFitnessPal retained Cal AI's team of seven employees, including co-founder CEO Zach Yadegari.
- The Cal AI app will remain independent but has been integrated with MyFitnessPal's nutrition database.
- The acquisition process lasted almost a year, with MyFitnessPal noticing Cal AI's rise on app store rankings.
- MyFitnessPal CEO Mike Fisher was impressed by the young team's dedication, noting their Sunday night stand-up meetings.
- Cal AI is positioned for users who prefer speed and AI-based estimation, while MyFitnessPal caters to those seeking more accuracy in calorie counting.
- Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it is suggested to be a positive outcome for Cal AI's founders.