Neko Health Brings Its Full-Body Scan Model to the U.S. After $700 Million Raise

Neko Health has arrived in the United States, bringing with it a business model built around full-body scanning and a $700 million funding haul raised to finance it. The company was founded by Daniel Ek, the billionaire behind Spotify.

The startup sits at the center of a broader push into preventative healthcare, in which scans and diagnostic testing are pitched directly to consumers rather than routed solely through traditional clinical channels. Neko is one of several companies pursuing that approach.

Rival efforts are taking shape as well. Midjourney is developing its own body scanner, and Function Health has raised significant capital to build out a preventative-health platform, according to the company's backers and public plans.

Farooq Abbasi, founder and general partner of Preface Ventures and an investor in Neko Health, has discussed how the startup compares with other consumer-health businesses and why investors are committing large sums to the category. He also addressed the conditions that would need to be met for body scanning to become part of the wider healthcare system.

The debate over whether a Neko scan is worth its cost has followed the company into the U.S. market, where employer health plans, insurers and regulators remain the gatekeepers to mainstream adoption.