SkinBit has raised $6 million in pre-seed funding to develop and deploy its full-body skin imaging system for skin cancer screening. Boost VC, Cleo Capital, Manna Ventures, and Profluent Capital participated in the round. The investor group also included Lyft co-founder Logan Green and nine board-certified dermatologists.
SkinBit is building a scanning system that can complete a full-body imaging session in approximately 20 minutes and establish a patient-owned longitudinal record of skin changes over time.
The company plans to place its scanners in medical spas, longevity clinics and dermatology practices, making screening available in locations patients already visit.
Board-certified dermatologists review the scans, while patients requiring additional care can be referred to specialists with their imaging data attached.
SkinBit plans to launch three locations in 2026 and expand to 15 by the end of 2027. The company said it has more than 20 locations in active discussions and over 5,000 people on its waitlist.
The platform is intended to improve on conventional visual examinations that may not provide a consistent photographic record of how a person’s skin appeared during previous visits.
SkinBit said approximately 5.4 million skin cancer cases are diagnosed annually in the United States, while melanoma diagnoses have increased 42% over the last decade.
The company also cited limited access to dermatology services, including an average appointment wait of 34.5 days and a shortage of specialists in rural areas.
SkinBit was founded by CEO Jonathan Benassaya, who previously co-founded Deezer and held product leadership roles at Life360 and Meta.
Benassaya survived melanoma after a dermatologist noticed a lesion beneath his mask during a 2020 examination.
SkinBit’s clinical leadership includes co-founder and medical advisor Justin Ko, Chief of Medical Dermatology at Stanford, and Chief Medical Officer Sancy Leachman, a former dermatology chair at Oregon Health & Science University.
KEY QUOTES:
“Skin is the largest and most cancer-prone organ, and somehow it’s the one we track the least. There are multiple modalities to image our internal organs, but skin is still left to a doctor’s memory.”
“I got lucky, but health shouldn’t rely on luck. No one should die of a cancer you can see.”
Jonathan Benassaya, Co-Founder and CEO of SkinBit
“Dermatology has always been rooted in vigilance, but vigilance is stronger with data behind it. SkinBit gives my patients a longitudinal record I can build on, visit after visit.”
Stephanie Campbell, M.D., Board-Certified Dermatologist at Campbell Dermatology
