Neko Health Raises $700M and Brings Body Scanning to America
Neko Health raised $700M for body scans and entered the U.S. market, as investors bet on preventative-health startups.
TechCrunch reported that Neko is not the only company centering its roadmap on a new kind of preventative healthcare. Midjourney is building its own body scanner, while Function Health has raised significant capital to build out its preventative-health platform. The activity has led TechCrunch to ask why investors are betting so big on this category.
The question was taken up on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. Dominic-Madori Davis spoke with Farooq Abbasi, founder and general partner of Preface Ventures and an investor in Neko Health. They discussed how Neko compares with other consumer-health startups, and what would have to happen for body scanning to become part of the broader healthcare system.
Neko’s $700 million raise and its move into the American market make it one of the most heavily funded companies in the consumer body-scanning space. The startup was founded by Daniel Ek, the Spotify founder whose involvement has drawn attention to the company. TechCrunch’s report asks whether Neko Health’s body scan is worth it, a question that follows the company as it expands in the United States.
The category includes companies with different backgrounds. Midjourney is building a body scanner, and Function Health has raised significant capital for a preventative-health platform. Each is pursuing a version of preventative care that relies on scanning or health data to reach consumers before they enter the traditional medical system.
On the Equity podcast, Davis and Abbasi focused on how Neko compares with other consumer-health startups. They also considered the conditions that would need to be met for body scanning to move into the broader healthcare system. TechCrunch’s report does not resolve whether Neko’s scans are worth their cost, but it places that question alongside the company’s U.S. launch and its $700 million in funding.
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