Neko Health raises $700M to bring full-body scans to US

Neko Health, the body-scanning startup co-founded by Spotify's Daniel Ek, has raised $700 million in Series C funding at a valuation of roughly $7 billion Source: thenextweb. The company will use the funds to open its first U.S. clinic in New York City later this year, with plans for rapid expansion Source: gizmodo.

The offering

Neko's 60-minute scan uses a custom pod to capture millions of data points on skin, heart, and circulation, combined with a blood test and same-day doctor review Source: thenextweb. It screens for early signs of skin cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. The scan costs £299 in the UK, while U.S. pricing has not been announced Source: theverge.

Investor lineup

The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and O.G. Venture Partners, with backing from a star-studded group including Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, Maria Sharapova, will.i.am, Thierry Henry, and Tim Ferriss Source: thenextweb. Existing supporters include Alexis Ohanian and Zoë Saldaña Source: gizmodo.

Traction and skepticism

More than 100,000 people have been scanned, and over 350,000 are on waitlists Source: techcrunch. Neko claims three in four returning members with flagged serious conditions now have them under control. However, some doctors question whether whole-body scans justify their cost and risk of false alarms Source: thenextweb. Neko's New York waitlist is already open Source: gizmodo.