Music streaming platform Spotify founder Daniel Ek has launched a new startup called Neko Health based in Sweden, which specializes in offering body scans powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

Hjalmar Nilsonne, a co-founder and CEO of Neko Health, and Daniel Ek founded the company together. With the vision to create a healthcare system that can help people stay healthy through preventive measures and early detection, according to Neko Health's LinkedIn post.

"Early detection and prevention of serious illness would mean that we can avoid both the human suffering and the high social costs that serious illness entails. With our technology and AI, that future is now a possibility. This could be the basis for a whole new era in healthcare," Nilsonne, was quoted as saying.

According to the startup, their first health centre in Stockholm, Sweden offers the Neko Body Scan as well as a full health check-up of a person for those with skin and heart conditions. The startup was officially launched after four years of research and product development, reports Sifted.

Ek and Nilsonne founded HJN Sverige, now Neko Health, in 2018 and have since raised more than 30 million pound (approximately $32 million) in funding, primarily from Ek and his moonshot investment firm Prima Materia, said the report.

Meanwhile, Spotify announced its premium subscribers base has touched 205 million, representing a 14 per cent increase year-on-year. This makes Spotify the world's first music streaming company to achieve such a large user base.