Virtual nurse app Sense.ly raises $8 million from investors including the Mayo Clinic

San Francisco startup Sense.ly has raised $8 million in a Series B round of venture funding to bring its virtual nurse technology to clinics and patients of every kind. The company's app helps physicians stay in touch with patients, and prevent readmission to the hospital. Adam Odessky describes the platform as "A cross between Whatsapp and Siri that captures all the important signals about a person's health." On the patient side, Sense.ly asks users to tell a nurse avatar how they're doing with 5-minute "check ins" either once a day, or every few days, on their smartphones. Patients can simply talk to the app, no typing required.