What to do when a pre-seed investor is writing a sizable check and insists on a board seat ?

First let’s discuss round and check size.

If the round is $4m - $5m and check is $2m - $3m I can see this coming up.

When the round is $1m and check is $250k it makes no sense.

Regardless if the founders don’t have a choice and need to take the capital but don’t want to give a board seat but investors insist on it what to do ?

The best compromise is give the seat but make it expire at the following financing.

This should work well and is fair if investors insist on having an oversight until the next round.

If the small check investor doesn’t agree and wants to hang on the board permanently this is a massive red flag 🚩 imo and the founders should consider walking away.

If the investors agree to expiration at the next round it’s fine for the founders as they will continue to maintain control and will expand the board as the company scales.

Stefano Melchior is heading to hashtag#Montreal for ALL IN #2026 (allinevent.ai)! 🇨🇦✨

Thanks to @ACCIÓ for organizing this mission and to connectwith world-class AI ecosystems, including @scaleai , @LUQIA, @IVADO_Qc , #Videns by @COFOMO, @VectorInst, @AmiiThinks

If you're attending, let’s connect! I’d love to catch up and talk about #IndustrialAI and #decarbonization, and explore opportunities to collaborate. Drop me a message or comment below to grab a coffee!

Traveling with: @ConectaWireless , @_BiBold_ , @cimne , @modelical , @VariantWork
#ALLIN2026 #AI #Innovation #ACCIO #Montreal #BeChainedAI #TechMission

Can #RAG optimize #machinery without blowing up context?
The data says yes—if for #industry.
- Text-only baseline: At 128K context, the baseline's accuracy dropped to less than 28%
- The Multimodal Pipeline: at 128K context split,#IndyRAG achieved accuracy of 85.4% (semantic LLM)

Deep dive on the test with IndyRAG for our #DigitalTwin #builder: open.substack.com/pub/barnowlai/…

🛠️ Tech update for @be_chained 's Digital Twin builder (#BarnOwlAI)
Full Substack breakdown below! 👇
open.substack.com/pub/barnowlai/…

#AI #DigitalTwin #Manufacturing #IndustrialAI #GCP

We’re making industrial Digital Twin generation faster, automatized, and fully resilient:
🔹 Layered RAG: Domain-focused agents for Machine Ops, Energy, and Physical Layout,
🔹 Dynamic Glossaries: RAG adapts automatically to process-specific tech jargon,

🔹 Checkpoint Recovery: Resumes execution on network/GCP drops—no restarting from scratch. 🔹 Self-Healing Loop: 3-tier automated error handling that auto-adjusts queries to fix blockers.

🚀 Big architecture update on @be_chained's #DigitalTwin builder! Completely re-engineered how we model complex industrial physical assets.
open.substack.com/pub/barnowlai/…
Highlights:
1) Switched to #Gemini for a highly efficient 16-agent + 1 orchestrator architecture

2) Capable of parsing dense, multi-language ISO A0 drawings & technical manuals
3) Built generalized skills/hooks to map raw #PLC/#SCADA signals (with #OPCUA) from legacy hardware
4) Standardized @gitlab CI/CD hybrid deployment to keep sensitive OT data strictly on-prem

Right now, finalizing an automated pipeline for a #DIY vDigital Twin builder frontend—letting users upload #multilanguage schematics to auto-generate a live #KPI #dashboard.
🛠️🏭 #DigitalTwin #GenerativeAI #Industry40 #AI

@be_chained will be showcasing at #WMF26 (#bologna) this week in the Italian #AI #Deeptech & #Digital event.
Come and meet us: HALL 29 at booth B15 - C16/7 👇

🚀 Big news! BeChained AI has been selected for the AID4SME Open Call 1!

We’re partnering with LTH Castings to deploy our serial #digitization and #energyoptimization solution in their high-pressure aluminum die-casting facilities.

Official announcement: aid4sme.eu/driving-indust…

Key focus areas for this deployment:
🔹 Tech Validation: Scaling in a demanding automotive supply chain environment.
🔹 Automated Rollout: Streamlining how we clone industrial lines even faster.
🔹 TRL 6 to TRL 7: Moving from prototype to full-scale operational demonstration.

🔹 95% AI Accuracy: Fine-tuning our Digital Twins to hit a 95% threshold for autonomous decision-making to slash factory resource consumption.

Let’s digitize and optimize! 🦉💼
#AI #DigitalTwin #EnergyEfficiency #Manufacturing #Automotive #AID4SME #DeepTech #Sustainability

#AlleyOPP is a Winner of the @AID4SME Open Call!
🏆 We’re selected as an official Pilot to scale our AI-driven solution for the “Automated energy management for parts production” challenge.

We’re embarking on a 14-month journey to:
💶 Secure €150,000 in funding
🏭 Validate our tech in real-world industrial sites
🌿 Accelerate the #GreenDeal through data innovation
We’re proud to be part of the cohort driving the future of European industry.
Let’s get to work!

BarnOwl AI 3.0: From Static Blueprints to Living Code This is the recent progress of @be_chained 's serial #DigitalTwin builder for manufacturers: open.substack.com/pub/barnowlai/…?

🌍⚡️ Happy World Energy Efficiency Day!

At @be_chained , we aren't just celebrating—we’re automating.
While industry is stuck in a monitoring trap, #PhysicalAI is the key to competitiveness
We deliver:

1️⃣ Serial #DigitalTwin Builder: We digitize complex production lines in days, not months. No more endless consulting.
2️⃣ Patented AI Optimization: Our Reinforcement Learning finds the "golden settings" to cut energy use by +20% in real-time

3️⃣ No CAPEX Barrier: We replace high upfront costs with a simple subscription across your plants.

The vision gap ends here.
Start automating efficiency. 🚀
#EnergyEfficiencyDay #IndustrialAI #DigitalTwin #CausalAI #Sustainability #GreenTech #Manufacturing