Spotify Founder’s Next Move: Solve Real Health Issues

Spotify’s co-founder now wants to stream your body data, not your music. Daniel Ek and fellow Swedish entrepreneur Hjalmar Nilsonne are bringing their health-tech startup Neko Health to New York this spring, creating the US its third market after Sweden and Britain, the New York Times’ DealBook reports. The company offers one-hour full-body scans applying an array of sensors and cameras—none of the MRIs or X-rays its competitors utilize—to measure heart function, circulation, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and photograph the full body in a search for possible cancer.

It’s pitched as “a health check for your future self,” and in Stockholm, a visit costs about $300, though Neko hasn’t disclosed US pricing. That’s roughly a tenth of what rivals Prenuvo and Ezra charge for their most comprehensive scans. The startup, valued at around $1.7 billion, declares it wants these noninvasive scans to become as routine as an annual physical; Fast Company reports the company declares 1.2% of the scans it did in Stockholm in 2024 turned up life-threatening conditions, while 6.4% found “medically significant findings requiring clinical attention.”

Demand, at least, sees strong. Neko declares it expects to perform more than 200,000 scans worldwide this year and has a waiting list topping 300,000 people. After realizing that roster included Americans willing to fly to Europe, Ek and Nilsonne accelerated their US plans, per the Times. In a 2024 interview, he indicated profit wasn’t the goal. “I would be super happy if this turned out to create me no money but we actually solved real issues in the world for real people.”

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