Neko Health opens its first U.S. clinic after a $700M round

Why it matters

Neko's first U.S. clinic turns a heavily funded European health-scanning operation into a direct test of American demand. Its $499 price and self-reported waitlist offer a clear commercial signal; the company's own research report says it has no control group or randomized trial, while its U.S. terms leave follow-up treatment to patients' clinicians.

Neko Health opened its first U.S. clinic in Manhattan on September 24th, bringing Daniel Ek's body-scanning startup to a market it had been preparing to enter with a $700 million funding round and a New York waitlist. The SoHo clinic, at 300 Lafayette Street, is the first step in a planned U.S. expansion, according to Neko Health's launch announcement. Ek marked the opening in a post on X.

https://x.com/eldsjal/status/2103178482565984588?s=46

Ek, the Spotify co-founder, started Neko Health with CEO Hjalmar Nilsonne. Ek became Spotify's executive chairman on January 1st, 2026, after stepping down as CEO, according to a Spotify filing with the SEC. Neko gives him a second founder-led business built around a consumer-facing technology product, this time one that has to earn trust with medical data and clinical follow-up as well as a polished appointment.

Neko says more than 25,000 New Yorkers joined its waitlist before the opening. The company also says it has delivered more than 100,000 scans in Sweden and the UK. Those are company-reported figures, and the waitlist measures interest rather than paid demand. At the New York clinic, Neko lists its one-hour scan at $499 and says customers can use health savings and flexible spending account funds.

The scan combines imaging, measurements, blood tests and a consultation with a clinician. Neko says it designed its own hardware, software and systems, though its published U.S. scan facts show that the clinic also uses third-party medical devices and testing equipment. Its own technology includes systems for full-body skin imaging and tissue oxygenation measurements. The company's technology description says its skin-imaging system uses synchronized cameras to create a visual record and map moles for clinician review. Neko's pitch is that a suite of tests in one visit can surface signals that a routine checkup may not collect together.

The clinical case still needs to be read with the company's own caveats. In a recent report on its European member data, Neko says its analysis had no control group or randomized controlled trial. Its U.S. medical terms also say Neko Clinic is not a full-service medical practice, does not treat conditions found during a scan, and expects patients to arrange follow-up care with their own clinicians. The clinic is selling screening and interpretation, not a replacement for primary care.

There is a separate U.S. data-handling question. Neko's clinic privacy notice says the clinic does not participate in health insurance plans and is not a HIPAA-covered entity. The notice describes security controls and privacy procedures, but customers should not assume HIPAA governs the clinic's handling of their records simply because the service involves medical tests. Neko says its app stores scan history and can connect wearable data, adding a persistent digital record to the in-person service.

The opening follows Neko's $700 million Series C, announced in July and led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and O.G. Venture Partners, with participation from existing investors and high-profile individuals, including Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan. The size of that round gives Neko capital to open clinics, build its technology and pay for clinical operations. New York is the test of whether the model can convert attention and a large waitlist into repeat visits and a scalable service in the U.S.

Neko says additional New York locations and a Miami clinic are expected to follow, with Washington, D.C., and San Francisco also planned. The first clinic puts its central bet into practice: that customers will pay out of pocket for a concentrated health assessment, and that Neko can support that assessment with enough evidence, clinical trust and follow-up to make another visit worthwhile.