Zach Yadegari, the 19-year-old co-founder of calorie tracking app Cal AI, has launched Persona, a new AI agent startup, and successfully raised $10 million in a funding round led by Vine Ventures, with participation from Z Fellows founder Cory Levy and Collective Global. The launch follows the March acquisition of Cal AI by MyFitnessPal after Yadegari’s previous app generated over $30 million in annual revenue in under two years. After briefly working for the new owner, Yadegari left MyFitnessPal in June to focus on developing Persona alongside an unannounced co-founder.
Persona introduces a personal AI assistant that functions similarly to other market offerings but incorporates a dedicated hardware component via a $179 wearable band scheduled for release in December. Unlike ambient AI devices that continuously record, Persona's band operates via a physical button or a flick of the wrist. The startup emphasizes user privacy by processing data in the cloud with encryption while omitting on-device data storage, and the company promises that user conversations will not be sold to advertisers. The device also includes safeguards against phishing and prompt-injection attacks, alongside secure payment handling through Stripe Link.
Although user data is protected from resale, Persona's current business model incorporates advertising by displaying sponsored results during shopping research while maintaining unbiased recommendations. The startup has already released a free beta product via iMessage, drawing thousands of users and generating five figures in preorder revenue for the upcoming band. Yadegari envisions the assistant ultimately consolidating everyday smartphone utility apps into a single proactive super app designed to reduce reliance on traditional mobile screens.