Being someone who monitors health with a smart ring and various tests, I tried my second full body scan at Neko Health's reopened Stockholm clinic. The preventative healthtech, founded by serial entrepreneur Hjalmar Nilsonne and Spotify's Daniel Ek, offered the scan for free. My lifestyle choices — wine, red meat, snus — showed worse results than three years ago, but the avatar was most shocking. Even at my lowest self-esteem, I couldn't imagine an image as unflattering: an oblique angle from below showing flappier skin, sagging features, and soft muscles. My sister confirmed: "That doesn't look like you." Last time, the app's waist measurement was off by 8 cm; this time no measurements were provided, but accuracy remains doubtful.

At the clinic, the doctor noted many people get fired up to change behavior after seeing their avatar. Neko Health is succeeding regardless: opening a second Stockholm clinic, launching in New York, and announcing a $500m Series C. The company added wearables integration, body composition analysis, and visceral fat calculation. Nilsonne says 80% of customers return yearly, with retention increasing after the second scan. "Once people actually get what we are trying to do, they really stick with it," he says.

Following my scan, I replaced butter with avocado for nearly a week and pushed harder to build muscle. The unflattering avatar may be crude, but it appears to drive behavior change.