This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jake Castillo, the 31-year-old CMO and cofounder of Cal AI, based in Los Angeles. Cal AI is an AI-native app co-founded by a tiny team of Castillo and three others. The lean team quickly scaled to millions in monthly revenue, leading to its acquisition by MyFitnessPal less than two years after launch. His words have been edited for length and clarity. Imagine holding your breath for two years, and then finally exhaling. That's how I felt