Neko Health Launches Its Preventive Body Scans in New York
Neko Health, the Swedish preventive-health startup co-founded by Spotify’s David Ek and Hjalmar Nilsonne, has launched in New York. The company offers a one-hour body scan priced at $500 and says its global waitlist has passed 300,000 people.
The service is designed to screen for issues involving blood, skin and metabolism. Neko Health uses advanced technology, including computer vision, as part of the assessment. The scan is not covered by insurance, although the company says it should qualify as an eligible expense for people with Health Savings Accounts.
A US launch for a Swedish health technology company
Neko Health was founded in Sweden and has raised nearly $1 billion in total. Its arrival in New York marks the company’s entry into the US market, where it is also considering wider expansion.
Farooq Abbasi of Preface Ventures, an investor in Neko Health, told TechCrunch that low use of preventive care in the United States is partly connected to concerns over cost. He described the company’s aim as making preventive care and healthcare cheaper and more accessible.
What the scan measures
Abbasi has used the product twice and said its capabilities have expanded between generations. His first scan included a blood test with 15 biomarkers; a later scan included 55 biomarkers. The reported increase illustrates the product development the company is pursuing as it builds its screening service.
Neko Health also applies computer vision to its scans. Abbasi sees this technology as part of a broader role for AI in healthcare and argues that the product is intended to provide people with actionable information that can help them make decisions about their lives.
Scaling remains a key question
The New York launch does not remove the work required to operate broadly in the United States. The company still needs to scale its service and obtain the regulatory approvals needed for its plans. Those requirements will shape how quickly its proposed nationwide clinic footprint can develop.
For employers, benefits teams and prospective customers, the practical implication is to examine what a preventive screening service measures, what it costs, how it is paid for and what regulatory status applies before incorporating it into a health strategy.