{"id":423555,"date":"2026-10-09T19:06:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T19:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/423555\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T19:06:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T19:06:12","slug":"after-exiting-cal-ai-19-year-old-miami-founder-raises-10m-to-put-ai-on-your-wrist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/423555\/","title":{"rendered":"After exiting Cal AI, 19-year-old Miami founder raises $10M to put AI on your wrist"},"content":{"rendered":"

At 18, Zach Yadegari had already built and sold a company generating tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue. Now 19, the Miami-based entrepreneur is taking on a bigger challenge: building an AI assistant that handles everyday tasks without requiring users to pull out their phones.<\/p>\n

His new startup, Persona<\/a>, announced a $10 million funding round on October 8, led by Vine Ventures, with participation from Cory Levy, Collective Global, WHOOP, and Eight Sleep. The funding follows the launch of a free AI assistant accessible through iMessage and pre-orders for a $179 wristband [pictured above].<\/p>\n

The idea is that, rather than opening multiple apps, users could ask Persona to book flights, schedule appointments, respond to emails, or arrange meetings. The assistant is designed to complete tasks involving multiple steps, potentially moving between websites, emails, and phone calls.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission is really to just make computing seamless with human life, and that\u2019s what physical hardware actually allows,\u201d Yadegari shared in an interview with Inc<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yadegari previously co-founded Cal AI<\/a>, an app that estimates calories from photos of meals. The company grew rapidly before MyFitnessPal acquired it in March 2026 for an undisclosed sum. According to TechCrunch, Cal AI had generated more than $30 million in annual revenue in less than two years.<\/p>\n

Initially, Yadegari [pictured below] stayed at MyFitnessPal but left in June to pursue Persona, alongside another co-founder whose identity hasn\u2019t been announced.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The inspiration came from his own experience moving from Long Island to Miami. Suddenly responsible for scheduling appointments, managing emails, and organizing everyday errands, he began thinking about an assistant that could handle those tasks.<\/p>\n

\u2713<\/p>\n

Check your inbox for a confirmation email.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew what I was going to be getting myself into,\u201d he said, acknowledging the intense competition. \u201cBut after a month of just ideating, it became very clear to me how obvious this is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Persona\u2019s wristband will allow users to activate the assistant through a button or wrist movement, rather than continuously recording their surroundings. The company says personal data will be encrypted, users can delete their information, and purchases will require approval.<\/p>\n

The business model is also taking shape. Rather than charging subscriptions, Persona plans to generate revenue partly through sponsored product recommendations.<\/p>\n

Early interest is building. Persona has attracted several thousand beta users, while wristband pre-orders have reportedly generated five figures in revenue. Deliveries are expected in December.<\/p>\n

Yadegari ultimately envisions an assistant that anticipates users\u2019 needs rather than waiting for instructions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can offer help and solve problems before you even know you have a problem, and overall be more seamless with your life, so that you don\u2019t need to stare at a rectangle in your hand all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:<\/p>\n

\"Riley<\/a> <\/p>\n

I am a Miami-based technology researcher and writer with a passion for sharing stories about the South Florida tech ecosystem. I particularly enjoy learning about GovTech startups, cutting-edge applications of artificial intelligence, and innovators that leverage technology to transform society for the better. Always open for pitches via Twitter @rileywk or www.RileyKaminer.com.<\/p>\n

\"Riley<\/a>Latest posts by Riley Kaminer (see all<\/a>) \t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At 18, Zach Yadegari had already built and sold a company generating tens of millions of dollars in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":423556,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226],"class_list":["post-423555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hialeah","tag-hialeah","tag-hialeah-headlines","tag-hialeah-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/423556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}