$30 million from tech startup, not a single Ivy: Teen prodigy rejected by 15 top US colleges

18 years old
34 ACT
4.0 GPA
$30M ARR biz

Stanford ❌
MIT ❌
Harvard ❌
Yale ❌
WashU ❌
Columbia ❌
UPenn ❌
Princeton ❌
Duke ❌
USC ❌
Georgia Tech ✅
UVA ❌
NYU ❌
UT ✅
Vanderbilt ❌
Brown ❌
UMiami ✅
Cornell ❌

— Zach Yadegari (@zach_yadegari) April 1, 2025

“I didn’t expect to be accepted to all of these colleges,” Yadegari told the New York Post. “However, I did expect to at least be accepted to a couple of the top schools I was applying to. I think that entrepreneurial accomplishments may not be fully appreciated.”

A student of Roslyn High School, Zach started coding at age 7, began teaching others at 10, and had launched his first app by 12. In his junior year, he created “Cal AI,” an app that can calculate calories in meals using photos. The app now generates tens of millions of dollars annually.

Despite his success, he was turned away by elite institutions such as Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Brown, and Duke. He was accepted only by Georgia Tech, the University of Texas, and the University of Miami. “The rejection from Stanford hit the hardest,” he said.

In his personal statement, Zach reflected on how his views about higher education had changed. “I began my own journey fiercely independent, determined to forge my own path,” he wrote. “Now, I see that individuality and connection are not opposites, but complements.”

My personal statement pic.twitter.com/X0SOwcpMzU

— Zach Yadegari (@zach_yadegari) April 1, 2025

His experience sparked a wider online debate. One person commented, “Honestly, is college even for startup founders? The skills you need aren’t found there.” Another encouraged him, “Don’t change a thing about yourself one day those same universities will come begging.”

Some critics suggested his personal statement didn’t clearly explain how college would benefit him. Christopher Rim, a college admissions consultant, told The Post that the essay “must convey who the candidate is beyond his or her accomplishments and how they’ll uniquely contribute to the campus.”

Yadegari feels that admissions offices might not properly value real-world business success. “Building a company and creating jobs doesn’t seem to be weighted as highly as extracurricular activities like volunteering,” he said.

Though he plans to attend one of the three schools that accepted him, he’s not sure if he’ll stay for the full course. “I’m going to build relationships,” he said. “When I feel ready for the next step, I’ll take it.”