Preste

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a senior scientific project manager at DECHEMA e.V., a non-profit organization. DECHEMA is a leading scientific society advancing chemical engineering and biotechnology. We connect experts, foster research collaboration, and support projects from proposal to implementation. With strong expertise in scientific communication, we bridge research and industrial innovation. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Preste?

We engaged Preste to address key challenges in research data management and the integration of artificial intelligence within our EU project NOVA. As research data management is becoming increasingly important in EU initiatives, we required a reliable expert partner. Additionally, we recognized the potential of machine learning and AI to enhance our project outcomes and sought Preste’s expertise to fully explore and leverage these technologies from the outset.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Preste has been an integral partner in the NOVA project since the proposal development phase and continues to play a key role in its implementation (since September 2022). As the lead of a dedicated work package, the team has established and manages the project’s research data infrastructure, developing a comprehensive data management and analysis platform from the ground up within the first months of the project. Preste’s primary objective is to provide advanced data science support and develop in-silico predictive models that accelerate research across the consortium, particularly for scientific and academic partners. Their work enables the integration of experimental data with computational modelling to enhance understanding of coating performance and optimise development processes. Beyond modelling, Preste has contributed significantly to process automation, reducing manual workload for experimental teams. The team has developed tools such as automated colony counting for microbiologists and cell classification systems for biologists, improving efficiency and reproducibility. In addition to technical contributions, Preste actively supports the consortium’s dissemination and outreach activities.

What is the team composition?

We work with 2–5 teammates from Preste.

How did you come to work with Preste?

Preste was referred to me.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Preste in September 2022, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our collaboration with Preste has had a measurable and transformative impact on the NOVA project. The research data management platform developed by Preste has become the backbone of our data operations, ensuring that all project data are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR). The platform is now used by 100% of our consortium partners, who were fully trained by Preste to integrate it into their daily workflows. This has significantly improved data quality, traceability, and collaboration across all work packages. Preste’s automation tools have streamlined experimental processes, reducing manual workload and increasing accuracy. These tools are used daily by our research teams — for instance, automated colony counting for microbiologists and cell classification for biologists — enabling faster, more reliable data generation and analysis. Overall, Preste’s engagement has elevated the project’s scientific rigour, efficiency, and data-driven innovation, setting a new benchmark for collaborative research within the consortium. 

How did Preste perform from a project management standpoint?

Preste always delivers on time. We communicate via in-person meetings, virtual meetings, and email or messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Preste has been a valuable partner from the very beginning. The team is consistently accessible, responsive, and highly adaptable in addressing any challenges that arise. Even when faced with risks or unforeseen issues, Preste engages proactively, ensuring that solutions are identified and implemented collaboratively and efficiently.

Are there any areas they could improve?

On-site meetings were sometimes difficult with the staff from Ukraine, but that was expected due to the current situation.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the IT Architect of Green Big

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The start-up that is revolutionizing recycling by combining ecology and economy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Preste to accomplish?

• Replacing sensors in our bbot to detect bottles at our crusher
• Anti-fraud system

SOLUTION

How did you find Preste?

Online Search

Why did you select Preste over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Preste were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Scope of Work

The projects undertaken were part of an effort to enhance detection and quality control capabilities for bottles within our processes. The scope of work covered two key initiatives: replacing traditional sensors with AI-driven Computer Vision and developing an anti-fraud system based on bottle identity verification.

1. Replacement of Traditional Sensors with AI-Driven Computer Vision

Description:
This project aimed to modernize bottle detection at the crusher stage by replacing traditional sensors with a Computer Vision solution powered by Artificial Intelligence. The implemented system can reliably detect the presence or absence of bottles, even under challenging environmental conditions.

Key Deliverables:

    Inference Engine: A highly accurate AI model capable of detecting bottle presence or absence with robust performance.
    Integration Code: Software enabling the deployment of the inference engine and secure transmission of collected data through an internal communication channel for processing and visualization.

2. Anti-Fraud System for Bottle Verification

Description:
The anti-fraud system was designed to create a "digital identity" for bottles entering our reception area. This process ensures that incoming bottles conform to expected specifications, significantly reducing risks related to fraud or discrepancies.

Key Deliverables:

    Inference Engine: An AI model capable of analyzing bottle characteristics (e.g., shape, content) and matching them against predefined expectations.
    Operational Software: A suite of tools leveraging inference results to identify anomalies or non-compliance.
    Hardware Selection and Integration: The Jetson Orin Nano platform was chosen as the hardware backbone for this project, following a comprehensive benchmarking process conducted in collaboration with Preste. This platform delivers high performance and seamless integration into the environment.

Summary of Key Deliverables

    Optimized AI models for presence/absence detection and bottle identity verification.
    Integration software for transmitting and processing information through internal communication channels.
    Jetson Orin Nano hardware platform, benchmarked and deployed to execute AI solutions effectively.

These efforts have significantly enhanced the reliability, precision, and traceability of our industrial processes while laying the foundation for future technological advancements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

1. Sensor Replacement Project for BBots:

    The deployment is underway on our fleet of 900 BBots, demonstrating our strong confidence in the robustness of the implemented solution.
    Key measurable result: A significant reduction in breakdowns. While precise figures are still being consolidated, early feedback highlights a noticeable decrease in service interruptions, improving bbot availability and reliability.

2. Anti-fraud Project:

    We are currently in the phase of progressive deployment and solution fine-tuning.
    Early results are very promising, particularly in detecting anomalies related to the shape, color, and content of bottles.
    Key measurable result (preliminary): A reduction in manually detected fraud cases. We anticipate full adoption and significant efficiency gains in the coming months.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The project management followed the planned schedule, with weekly meetings, progress updates, and effective management of deliverables. All items were delivered in accordance with the initially defined timeline, demonstrating a structured and reliable approach to meeting our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with Preste?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

One of the most impressive aspects of this company was their unwavering reliability, particularly given the challenging Ukrainian context. The teams consistently delivered on time, showcasing a high level of professionalism and dedication. Their analytical skills and ability to achieve results were truly exceptional, enabling them to address complex challenges effectively.

Furthermore, their questions were always thoughtful and demonstrated a deep understanding of the project, ensuring they were aligned with our goals. What stood out the most was Preste’s proactive approach; they frequently anticipated our needs before we even expressed them. This level of foresight and responsiveness makes them an ideal partner, and we are confident in their ability to deliver outstanding results.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Preste could have done differently?

No, Preste fully met our expectations. Their work was thorough, aligned with our requirements, and delivered to a high standard. We have no areas of improvement to suggest, as their performance was exemplary throughout the project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am professor and scholar at my University and project leader for a work package of a H2020 Project

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Preste, and what were your goals?

We needed to develop from scratch a data pipeline from various sources and format captured from a platform dedicated to support citizen science project. The data pipe must deliver cooperation analytics on the fly from metadata, structured data and unstructured data (from conversations and activities). The results must contribute to indicators that are displayed on dashboards. Preste was able to contribute to each aspect of the workflow from data engineering to data science including NLP tasks.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

The capacity of the firm to adapt precisely to the home made data sets, to the specific conditions of the project, rather unstructured at the start, and the assemblage of skills (including lanuguage skills)

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Too long sorry!! identification of data sources, of formats, tests of extraction of the relevant data, aggregation of data for designing rhe indicators, design of the workflow, test on datasets based on text from scholars activity, exploration of the best NLP techniques, etc.....

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

3. A project leader (present all the time), a data scientist (skilled in NLP), a data engineer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

New phasis to come to make the workflow fully operational and the analytics adapted to the final users. The main outcome is a set of robust indicators, that are computable and feasible.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

easily available, with a true willingness to understand the specificity of our expectations. reliable for weekly meetings or other tasks. Zoom meetings, drive, mails,

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The adaptability and large scope of skills were impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

NO, Best experience!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a project manager in a company that produces immersive and interactive experiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Preste, and what were your goals?

We hired Preste to help us develop the prototype of our next project: an immersive and narrative experience using speech to text and text to speech technologies, content generation with a NLP engine, combined to real-time animations produced on a video game engine. The prototype was meant to be presented during a 5 days event.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We searched on-line for a company with experience in using Open AI's GPT-3 or similar NLP engine. Deciding factors were Preste's ability to quickly understand our artistic proposition and technological constraints but also their ability to transmit their knowledge and give a clear vision of how they would develop their part of the project.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

They offered to work according to the Agile method: we had a kick-off meeting and then a meeting once a week with the whole team, plus additional meetings on specific subjects when needed. Preste was in charge of developing the conversational part of our project while a third party was in charge of the real-time animation part.

During development, Preste delivered a work in progress solution so we could test what had already been done. Preste remained available to help us until the end of the event.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

A senior project manager and machine learning engineer A junior machine learning engineer specialized in NLP A senior machine learning engineer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We were able to present our prototype to a panel of testers during a 5 days event. The prototype met our expectations and we received positive feedback from the testers!

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We used Slack to communicate on a day to day basis, everyone was always quick to respond, communication was fluid. Our schedule was short and the development included a lot of R&D but Preste managed to keep us informed of their achievements, present the next short-term steps through the whole development.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They were skilled and they attached importance to good project management and testing. They are very good at sharing and explaining what they do which is very valuable in the field of AI.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Spartha Medical is a biotech/Medtech company that develops multifunctional formulations and coatings (antiviral, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory). I'm CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Preste, and what were your goals?

We aim to harness the power of data science and machine learning in our coating development protocol for decreasing empirical testing load and also provide our clients with more customised coatings. Preste accompanies us in the development of the necessary models linking the coating component parameters with the final coating characteristics and functions.

SOLUTION

How did you select Preste and what were the deciding factors?

Prior to the development of the project we had contacts with Preste as a part of a fair, they had a good understanding of our problem and responsive.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Data collection, parameter selection, preliminary models and experimental data collection protocol establishment, structure/function models, incorporation of the literature data, establishment of the model development protocol and validation

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

4, 2 management and 2 data scientists

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We are soon be given the first validated model for one key coating parameter and a second model is in development.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

The project is managed by a slack group and e-mails with regular online meetings and reports from the data scientist.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their level of understanding in chemistry given that it is a data science company was impressive. they went farther than we expected in its part which was very useful for us.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Some physical meetings would be good, but the conditions do not allow it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital innovation project manager for Unapei, a non-profit organization. We’re a French association that defends the rights of people with intellectual disabilities and their families by offering adapted services and working towards an inclusive society.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Preste?

We needed help with the total redesign of a web tool offered to our members, including AI features.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Preste has completely redeveloped our tool’s website, which was outdated. The team has built a tool that’s easy to use and adapted to our users’ needs. The tool includes AI features such as the simplification of textual content via call to an LLM, the detection of particular elements in a text, and the improvement of the transcription of imported PDF documents that are difficult to read.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 2–5 teammates from Preste.

How did you come to work with Preste?

We found Preste through a referral (Pack IA). We chose them over other options because they had a good understanding of our needs, and their pricing fit our budget.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Preste in April 2025, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We expect to see an increase in the number of users of the new version of our web tool, user satisfaction, and improvement of features results. Users who have seen the new version (but haven’t used it yet) find it easier to use, attractive, and ergonomic. They’ve seen the clear difference with the old version.

How did Preste perform from a project management standpoint?

Preste has been very efficient in delivering features and fixing bugs. The team is always attentive to the readjustment of a feature that no longer suits us. We communicate via virtual meetings, emails, and messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Preste’s very fine and quick understanding of our needs is impressive. The team has experience in ergonomics, which has produced a very easy-to-use tool. Preste’s perseverance to deliver something adapted and responsiveness make the work very pleasant with Preste.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing Preste could improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the IT developer of Editions Touristiques Européennes

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our company publishes a B2B magazine for tourism industry professionals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Preste to accomplish?

• index our documentary collection (pdf) and create a conversational search engine

SOLUTION

How did you find Preste?

Referral

Why did you select Preste over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Preste were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Evaluation of the best indexing and response solution: - Evaluation with several test sets - Testing of different engines to assess relevance and response speed Indexing tool: - This tool allows us to index our document collection. We use an API provided by Preste. Dialogue tool: - An API that allows you to ask questions from our website and returns answers formulated by a conversational AI. - This tool also returns document references so that we can present them to users in an environment specific to our website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

increased use of our services

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Weekly video meetings
Available by email promptly
Clear delivery schedule at the start of the project
On-time delivery
Clear documentation

What was your primary form of communication with Preste?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Availability, professionalism, advice

Are there any areas for improvement or something Preste could have done differently?

Our project was successful

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the CEO of a retail technology company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Provide digital solutions for main retailer to optimize management of the packaging free department

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Preste to accomplish?

• Explore potentialities of IA (intelligent automation) and computer vision for our application
• Provide all technical requirement for implementation

SOLUTION

How did you find Preste?

Online Search

Why did you select Preste over others?

specific expertise

How many teammates from Preste were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Analyse the technical requirement of IA with a specific use case in store.

Main objective was to recognize specific consumer behaviors with computer vision.

Deliverables :

• Demo test with existing framework
• Functional and technical specifications

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Concrete video processing / identification of scenario / evaluation of material capacity

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Weekly visio-meeting, shared repository and mail.

Delivery on time.

What was your primary form of communication with Preste?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

We were impressed with their quick understanding of our needs, specific expertise, and concrete beta testing.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Preste could have done differently?

More integration of business constraints and not only focus on technical aspect ;-)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the managing director of a research company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We develop innovate ehealth applications, including social companions to support patients and caregivers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Preste to accomplish?

• Develop a speech recognition module
• Develop a dialog model
• Advise on a roadmap for AI improvements

SOLUTION

How did you find Preste?

Referral

Why did you select Preste over others?

Expertise

How many teammates from Preste were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Development of a demonstrator that demonstrates speech input linked to a dialog model.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Outcomes: 
  • demonstrator module for natural language 
  • dialog for existing coaching platform.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The Preste team was proactive in their project management, and listened carefully to our project needs.

What was your primary form of communication with Preste?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

We much appreciated their flexibility and agile approach.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Preste could have done differently?

n/a

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of a trading company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

My company is a trading company exporting food products in Africa

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Preste to accomplish?

• Refurbish a intranet / extranet project badly initiated by another company

SOLUTION

How did you find Preste?

Referral

Why did you select Preste over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Preste were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

//

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Intranet / extranet with accurate data, quick updates

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes, initial schedule was mostly met. Weekly meetings, with emails/messages in between

What was your primary form of communication with Preste?

• In-Person Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I was delighted with their availability, excellent pedagogy, and caring and understanding attitude. Also, good anticipation of issues and future costs.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Preste could have done differently?

None for the time being.