Built for One Person First
Encora began at MIT with one prototype and one patient. Today, that same patient-first commitment guides our mission to bring drug-free, procedure-free support to more adults living with essential tremor.
Where It All Began
Our Founding Story
In The Fall Of 2017, Seventeen Mechanical Engineering Seniors At MIT Were Given A Capstone Challenge: Imagine A Superpower. Their Theme Was The Hands.
One idea came from Daniel Carballo, then a mechanical engineering student studying bio-inspired robotics and neural control of movement. In his research, a question had started to take shape: what if tremor was, in part, a problem of feedback control? What if an engineering solution could help where pharmacology had not?
Mechanical stimulation at the wrist. Fed into the body’s own feedback loop. Designed to subtract the tremor signal before it reached the hand.
It Sounded Impossible. Still, They Built.
No one expected the prototype to work. A week before final presentations, the team tested it on a man with severe tremor, an interior renovator whose hands were how he made a living, and whose tremor was making both work and life harder.
They placed the rudimentary prototype on his wrist and turned it on.
His Tremor Stopped Like A Light Switch. His Wife And Daughter Began To Cry.
The man did not want to give the device back. The team had to explain that it was not yet proven safe to leave with him. So they took it back, with apologies.
One week later, he returned for MIT’s final capstone presentations. The auditorium was packed. The event was livestreamed. The team had seen the device work only once.
They Turned It On Again. It Worked Again. The Audience Applauded.
During the Q&A, someone asked how he felt wearing it. He said, " I feel like myself again. Like before I ever had the diagnosis."
That Was The Moment Everything Changed.
After the presentation, messages began to arrive from families of people living with Parkinson’s and essential tremor, asking how they could get a device. The answer, then, was heartbreaking: there was only one. Even the man on stage could not keep it.
Most of the original capstone team moved on. Three stayed: Daniel Carballo, Allison Davanzo, and Kyle Pina.
They Kept Going On Belief. On Borrowed Time. On Evenings And Margins. On The Memory Of One Man Using His Hand Again And Saying He Felt Like Himself.
In 2020, the first pre-seed financing moved the work from a project into a company.
Everything Encora does today traces back to that auditorium: the mechanical, not electrical mechanism; the patient-first North Star; the dedicated Patient Advocate model; and the discipline of saying what we know and what we do not.
Encora Was Built For One Person First. Everything Since Has Been To Bring That Possibility To More.
The People Carrying It Forward
Dedicated To Helping Independence Stay Within Reach
Behind Encora X1 is a team of engineers, scientists, clinical researchers, operators, and patient advocates working toward one shared goal: helping more adults with essential tremor participate more fully in their lives.
Leadership
Daniel CarballoCo-Founder,
Head of Strategy
Allison DavanzoCo-Founder,
Head of Operations
Kyle PinaCo-Founder,
Head of Engineering
The Team
Han KimSenior Data Scientist II
Taylor RobertsonPatient Engagement
& Clinical Research Manager
Kristopher VuSenior Mechatronics Engineer
Srikar NekkantiData Scientist II
Haley UrsilloOperations Coordinator
Lexi NoyesClinical Trials Manager
What Keeps Us Focused
The Work Began With One Person. The Responsibility Since Has Only Grown.
Our Vision
We Build Toward A Future Where Essential Tremor Doesn’t Decide Which Parts Of Your Life You Take Part In
We picture a day when no one has to plan the morning around whether their hands will cooperate — when the cup, the pen, and the hand reaching across the table are simply yours again.
Our Mission
Our Immediate Goal Is To Restore Independence To People With Essential Tremor, So Every Part Of Life Remains Within Reach
Essential tremor takes more than what your hands can do. It can take confidence, spontaneity, and the quiet certainty that you’ll be able to show up for the things you love when the moment arrives.
We believe people deserve support that fits into the life they are already living. So we’re working to help people spend less time thinking about their tremor and more time living their lives.
Our Core Values
Five Commitments Behind Everything We Make
Scientific RigorWe say what the evidence says. We name the study, the number, and the limit. What we know matters. What we are still learning matters, too.
Technical ExcellenceEncora X1 is the product of hard engineering from an MIT capstone. The mechanical approach was not the easy path. It was the right one.
Patient AdvocacySupport should not end at the order. Encora’s Patient Advocate experience is designed to give patients a real person who stays with them every step of the way.
Transparent CommunicationWe are honest about the evidence and clear about the role your doctor plays. No fine print doing the talking.
IntegrityWe tell the truth about Encora X1, what it does, what it does not do, and what we can stand behind. Because trust is not claimed. It is earned.
Encora News
Be ready for what life hands you
Encora X1 was built from one simple belief: essential tremor should not decide how fully you participate in your life.
If you or someone you love is living with essential tremor, we’re here to help you understand what comes next.
WEB-011 REV0