Cal AI co-founder Zach Yadegari raises $10M for Persona

In short: Zach Yadegari, a 19-year-old co-founder of the Cal AI calorie app, has started a new company called Persona and raised $10 million.

What happened

Persona is a personal AI assistant, which means software that can help with everyday tasks like answering questions, taking notes, and helping book travel. The funding round was led by Vine Ventures, with Cory Levy (Z Fellows) and Collective Global also taking part.

Yadegari previously helped build Cal AI, a calorie tracking app. In March, MyFitnessPal bought Cal AI for an undisclosed amount, after Cal AI climbed app store rankings and reached over $30 million in annual revenue in under two years, according to MyFitnessPal. Yadegari told TechCrunch he left MyFitnessPal in June and started working on Persona.

Persona includes a hardware product, a $179 wearable band expected to be available in December. Unlike some wearables that are described as “always listening,” Persona’s band is meant to activate only when you press a button, or when you flick your wrist.

Persona says it focuses on privacy. The AI runs in the company’s cloud (computers on the internet, like renting a powerful computer instead of owning it), not on the band itself. Persona says it encrypts data while it is being sent and while it is stored, and users can delete their data.

For now, Persona is available as a free beta through iMessage texts. The company says it has a few thousand beta users and has already brought in “five figures” in preorder revenue for the band.

Why it matters

More companies are trying to turn AI assistants into tools people use every day, not just something you chat with on a website. A wearable band could make that assistant easier to use without pulling out your phone, but it also raises questions about how much personal data people are comfortable sharing.

Source: TechCrunch AI