Neko Health – a preventative healthcare technology company co-founded by Hjalmar Nilsonne and Daniel Ek – recently announced the completion of a €60 million Series A funding. This is the first time the company raised external capital and the investment was led by Lakestar with participation from Atomico and General Catalyst.
As part of this round, Klaus Hommels (Lakestar) and Niklas Zennström (Atomico) will join the company’s board together with the founders. And the funding will be used to accelerate Neko Health’s strategic plans for expansion, continued investment in R&D, clinical studies, and recruitment of world-class talents.
The company’s vision is to create a healthcare system that can help people stay healthy through preventive measures and early detection. And Neko Health has developed a new medical scanning technology concept to make it possible to do broad and non-invasive health data collection that is quick, convenient, and affordable.
This scan takes approximately 10 minutes to do, always followed by an in-doctor consultation where you get all the results and recommendations instantly. And it uses over 70 sensors to collect 50 million data points in minutes and can for instance detect skin changes as small as 0.2 millimetres. Plus the technology at hand is intended to assist doctors in detecting disease earlier including skin conditions, skin cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other metabolic syndromes.
After it first launched earlier this year in Stockholm, Sweden, Neko Health sold out all the slots in less than 2 hours. And the enthusiasm for its preventative approach to healthcare remains high with over 10,000 people currently on the waiting list and a rebooking rate of 80% after the initial scan. This shows that the vast majority of its members choose to make this part of their annual health routine.
The Neko Body Scan experience is now only available in Stockholm but will soon launch in clinics across Europe.
How the Neko Body Scan experience works:
— A full body scan takes 10 minutes and is always followed by an in-doctor consultation.
— Over 70 sensors collect 50 million data points in minutes. Neko’s Body Scan can for instance detect skin changes as small as 0.2 millimeters.
— The patient gets access to a summary of their health data in an app where they can also follow their health trend.
— A scan costs €250.
KEY QUOTES:
“Healthcare costs are spiraling out of control. We believe preventive health will be key to reversing this trend. Doctors today just don’t have enough time or resources to focus on prevention. This leads to many health problems going unnoticed until they get really serious, causing a lot of pain and putting a massive strain on the healthcare system. We’ve demonstrated that our unique approach to this problem resonates with people – that there’s a genuine need and desire for this change. This strong demand is what’s driving us to expand our horizons. To accelerate this, we’re partnering with external investors for the first time. It’s time to create the healthcare future we want, for ourselves, and for future generations.”
— Hjalmar Nilsonne, CEO and co-founder of Neko Health
