Cal AI says influencer campaigns helped it make more than $30 million

Turning views into users

Many creators were students with limited incomes, he said. The company offered payment in exchange for a minimum number of users and additional posts if the target was not met.

Yadegari also credited influencers with close-knit communities whose reach could be measured. That focus matters: Cal AI was not just buying exposure, but looking for creators whose audiences could be tied to results.

The reported $30 million-plus in revenue makes the approach sound effective. But the account does not say how much Cal AI spent to acquire those users, or how many stayed and paid. My read is that the story is less about viral reach than about performance marketing dressed in creator partnerships. Without acquisition costs and retention, revenue alone does not show whether the model was efficient.

From Cal AI to Persona

Earlier this month, Yadegari launched Persona, an AI-agent startup that has raised $10 million. He described its goal as building technology that fits naturally into everyday life.

The assistant is intended to be available wherever there is an internet connection, including iMessage, an app, email and phone calls. Persona also plans to build a hardware ecosystem around the app.

Yadegari’s remarks at the event also touched on education. He said he does not consider a university degree necessary for success, and that college is mainly worth attending for its social life and connections. His father was in the audience, and Yadegari thanked his family for giving him the freedom to pursue his plans.

The contrast between the two companies is striking: Cal AI’s growth story is about finding audiences through people who already have them; Persona’s ambition is to make an assistant available across the places people communicate. What I’d want to know is whether Persona has a similarly concrete route to users—or whether its hardware plans are meant to create one.