Spotify Billionaire's Body Scan Startup Expands Into the U.S.

Neko Health, the body-scanning startup co-founded by Spotify's Daniel Ek, has opened its first U.S. clinic in New York, bringing its $499 one-hour preventive scan to American consumers. Farooq Abbasi, founder of Preface Ventures and an investor in Neko, joined TechCrunch's Equity podcast to discuss the company's expansion and why he believes it could reshape American healthcare.

The Neko Health Scan

At the core of Neko's offering is a 60-minute, non-invasive scan that captures millions of data points across the body, including heart health, blood biomarkers, skin imaging, and metabolic function. Results are processed on-site and delivered within minutes, followed by a consultation with a Neko clinician who walks members through their findings and provides an action plan.

The scan includes over 2,000 high-resolution images of the skin, mapping moles from head to toe and tracking them from scan to scan. Blood analysis covers biomarkers for pre-diabetes risk, blood abnormalities, and risk factors linked to metabolic syndrome, stroke, and heart attack.

U.S. Expansion Plans

Neko opened its first U.S. clinic in SoHo at 300 Lafayette Street on September 24, 2026, with more than 25,000 New Yorkers already on the waitlist. The company plans to open additional locations in New York City, followed by Miami, Washington D.C., and San Francisco over the next year.

The U.S. debut followed a $700 million Series C funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and co-led by O.G. Venture Partners. Investors included Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, Claudia Schiffer, Danny Meyer, Maria Sharapova, and Tim Ferriss.

Abbasi's Investment Thesis

Abbasi told Equity that he invested in Neko after trying the scan himself. He has been scanned twice and says he loves it, adding that "there should be Neko clinics everywhere".

He views low primary-care utilization as one of the biggest problems in U.S. healthcare, with people avoiding preventive care due to cost concerns. Abbasi noted that the $500 scan is not covered by insurance but should qualify as an acceptable expense for Health Savings Accounts, emphasizing that "preventative care and healthcare should be cheap and accessible".

He also pointed to the company's use of advanced computer vision and AI as a broader example of how technology is improving the medical sector, and sees better health data as opening the door to a new generation of AI-powered healthcare.

Competitive Landscape

Neko is not alone in the preventive health space. Midjourney is building its own body scanner, and Function Health has raised significant capital for its preventative-health platform. Abbasi acknowledged that some consumer-health startups may be overfunded, but expressed optimism that venture dollars will continue flowing into the right companies.

Global Traction

More than 350,000 people have joined the waitlist or registered for a Neko Health Scan globally, with over 100,000 scans already delivered in the UK and Sweden. At the end of their first appointment, 75% of members book and prepay for their next scan. The company reports that three in four returning members with previously identified severe or life-threatening conditions are now in good health or have their condition under control.