Spotify Inc. SPOT co-founder Daniel Ek's body scanning startup has reportedly raised $260 million, bringing its valuation to $1.7 billion.
What Happened: The investment, spearheaded by Lightspeed Venture Partners , is intended to facilitate Neko Health’s growth into new markets, including the U.S., subject to regulatory approvals, reported the Financial Times on Thursday.
Other investors in this round include Lakestar , Atomico , General Catalyst , and OG Venture Partners . "The companies we compare ourselves with are the Apples or Teslas of the world, but we're applying it to a very different domain, which is healthcare," Ek told the publication. See Also: Elon Musk Or Larry Ellison? Dan Ives On Who Could Win TikTok’s Billion-Dollar Soap Opera: ‘Someone Hand Picked From Beijing But Also Trump’s White House’ Founded in Sweden in 2018 by Ek and Hjalmar Nilsonne , Neko Health provides health check-ups, featuring high-resolution skin scans and blood tests.
Why It Matters: Other companies in the preventive health scanning sector include Ezra and Prenuvo . OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also invested around $180 million in Retro Biosciences , a startup aiming to extend the human lifespan by a decade. On Thursday, it was also reported that Retro Biosciences is seeking to raise $1 billion in its latest funding round.
Altman is expected to invest additional funds during this Series A round. Image Credits: Shutterstock.com Read Next: Apple Stock Has Moved Up 4.
2% Since iPhone 16 .