Neko Health, a Swedish body-scanning startup co-founded by Spotify's David Ek and Hjalmar Nilsonne, has expanded into the United States with the opening of a location in New York. The company uses advanced technology to screen for issues in the blood, skin, and metabolism. Neko Health has raised nearly $1 billion in total funding and says its global waitlist has already topped 300,000 people.
The company's entry into the American market comes as it eyes broader expansion across the United States. Its one-hour scan costs $500, a price that is not covered by insurance but should qualify as an acceptable expense for those with Health Savings Accounts, according to the company. Neko Health also relies on advanced computer vision for its scans.
Farooq Abbasi of Preface Ventures, an investor in Neko Health, told TechCrunch that he hopes the company can represent the future of preventative medicine, particularly in the United States, where the medical system is known to be plagued with problems. Abbasi said preventative care utilization is low in the U.S. because people worry about how much it costs, and he believes preventative care and healthcare should be cheap and accessible.
Abbasi has been scanned twice and said he loves the product. He described how much it has grown since he first tried it, noting that a scan in his generation was a blood test with 15 biomarkers, compared with 55 biomarkers in his most recent scan. He said he thinks there should be Neko clinics everywhere.
Abbasi also views Neko Health's use of computer vision as another example of how artificial intelligence is improving the medical sector overall. He argued that Neko Health is not just another wellness fad, but something that gives people actionable insights to make their lives better.
Neko Health still faces a long road in the U.S., particularly when it comes to scaling and regulatory approval. Abbasi remains optimistic, saying he hopes more venture dollars will flow into the right companies and that he does not think anything is too broken to fix.
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