Neko Health, the Swedish body-scan startup co-founded by Spotify's Daniel Ek, has opened its first U.S. location in New York City, bringing a $500 one-hour preventative health scan to American consumers as its global waitlist exceeds 300,000 people.
Neko Health, the Swedish preventative-care startup co-founded by Spotify's Daniel Ek and Hjalmar Nilsonne, has expanded into the United States, opening its first location in New York City as global demand for its one-hour body scan surpasses 300,000 people on a waitlist, the company said.
The company, first reported by TechCrunch to have arrived stateside, has raised nearly $1 billion in total funding since its founding in Sweden.
Neko Health's scan screens for issues across blood, skin, and metabolism, and incorporates computer vision technology to generate what the company describes as actionable health insights. A single session costs $500 and takes approximately one hour.
The service is not covered by insurance, though the company says it qualifies as an eligible expense under Health Savings Accounts.
Farooq Abbasi of Preface Ventures, an investor in the company, told TechCrunch that low uptake of preventative care in the United States is driven in part by cost concerns — a gap he believes Neko Health is positioned to address. "I think preventative care and healthcare should be cheap and accessible," Abbasi said.
Abbasi said he has undergone the scan twice. He noted that the breadth of data captured has expanded considerably between his two visits. "In my first generation one scan, it was a blood test with 15 biomarkers," he said. "It was fifty-five this time."
He characterized the product as more than a wellness trend, arguing it gives users "actionable insights to make their lives better."
Neko Health faces meaningful hurdles on its path to a broader U.S. presence, including scaling operations and navigating regulatory approval processes. Abbasi said he expects more venture capital to flow toward companies operating in the preventative care space, and expressed confidence that the challenges are surmountable.
The company's U.S. arrival comes amid a broader wave of technology-driven health and wellness products entering the American market, including AI-powered wearables from Apple, Google, and Meta — all of which are contending with heightened scrutiny over user privacy.
Whether Neko Health's model — a clinic-based scan rather than a wearable device — insulates it from some of those concerns remains to be seen. Abbasi said his hope is that the company eventually establishes clinics broadly across the country. "I think there should be Neko clinics everywhere," he said.
For now, the company's immediate focus is on managing its existing waitlist and establishing its operational footing in New York before any wider domestic rollout.
TechEchelon Staff bylines are produced collectively by the newsroom for short, breaking, and wire-style coverage. Longer-form reporting is published under the responsible reporter's name.
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