Spotify Founder's AI Health Startup Neko Health Raises $700M at $7B Valuation, Eyes U.S. Launch
Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek just played his second card: Neko Health, the AI-powered preventive health company he co-founded, has closed a $700 million Series C at nearly $7 billion valuation, with U.S. expansion in its sights.
Three Key Takeaways
$700M Series C, valuation quadrupled in 18 months. The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and O.G. Venture Partners, with Atomico, General Catalyst, and Lakestar participating. Back in January 2025, Neko's Series B valued the company at $1.7 billion — now it's nearly $7 billion. A 4x jump in 18 months shows just how hot the AI healthcare lane has become.
Core product: a 60-minute AI full-body scan. Neko's health assessment is a 60-minute, non-invasive, radiation-free procedure that captures millions of data points through AI-driven skin imaging combined with blood tests. Compared to traditional MRI, Neko's approach is cheaper and faster, designed to catch potential health risks early. The company already operates multiple clinics across Europe.
Funding targets New York first, then nationwide. Neko plans to open its first U.S. clinic in New York City later this year, followed by expansion to other cities. Starting in the Nordics, using New York as a beachhead into America — the playbook is nearly identical to what Ek did with Spotify.
WangDou's Take
Ek's approach with Neko Health mirrors his Spotify playbook: take something expensive that only a few can access (music licensing / full-body checkups) and use technology to make it affordable for everyone. A traditional full-body MRI in the U.S. runs $5,000 to $10,000; Neko uses AI image analysis plus bloodwork to undercut that price significantly, with results in 60 minutes. Sounds great, but there's a fundamental difference between healthcare and music — if a music recommendation is wrong, you hear a bad song; if a health scan AI misses something or flags a false positive, the stakes involve someone's life. The FDA has always been strict with AI medical devices, and whether Neko can actually clear U.S. regulatory approval is the real battle. A $7 billion valuation for a company that hasn't opened a single clinic in America means investors are betting entirely on the "AI disrupts preventive medicine" narrative. Whether the story holds up depends on Ek's execution — but the final verdict belongs to the FDA and American consumers.
Source: Tech.eu, MobiHealthNews, HIT Consultant