Ayogo is a digital health tech business that collaborates with pharma companies and health systems on apps for conditions such as diabetes and obesity. They are designed to feel more like instructive, fun games and less like the subtle behavior change tools that they are. The goal is to make people feel in control of their health.

Its latest project is a weight management app that helps patients preparing for and recovering from bariatric surgery by re-imagining their body image but with more realistic expectations.

“Our tools are designed to work alongside existing programs to make human interactions more productive,” said Michael Fergusson, Ayogo’s founder and CEO at the mHealth Summit this week.

Earlier this year, Ayogo raised $2.5 million from a syndicate of investors consisting of Merck Global Health Innovation Fund along with Excel Venture Management and 7wire Ventures.

Fergusson is a much-changed man of late. Gone are the dreadlocks that made Fergusson stand out in a crowd, which he has worn since he founded Ayogo eight years ago. He assured me his kids are putting them to good use trying them on.