Worker.ai has acquired voice AI startup DeltaGen and launched a company operating system for small businesses. The Raleigh startup announced the deal on November 12, with backing from Veeam founder Ratmir Timashev. The financial terms were not disclosed.
Worker was founded by former private equity operator John Roberts, who serves as chief executive, and DeltaGen founder Rene Bystron, who becomes co-founder and chief operating officer. Bystron founded DeltaGen with Michal Studnicka and Matus Ondreicka.
What the operating system does
Worker puts a company’s plan, responsibilities, key numbers and processes in one shared place. Employees and AI workers run the weekly meeting, the scorecard, goals, to-dos and issues, while people keep the business decisions in their own hands.
DeltaGen adds real-time voice technology that captures decisions, commitments and next steps as people talk. Worker then turns those items into assigned work. When a team agrees to send a proposal after pricing approval, an AI worker drafts it and asks for approval, and the responsible employee sends it.
Why small businesses are the target
Roberts says growth strains small business owners because every new customer adds decisions, exceptions and follow-ups that land back on the owner’s desk. The company targets manufacturers, service companies and family businesses, starting with firms of 10 to 250 employees.
Small businesses drive 43.5 percent of US GDP and employ almost 46 percent of private sector workers, according to the US Small Business Administration. Timashev is backing Worker to help those businesses scale without asking owners to work longer days.
“You shouldn’t have to sell your company to get your life back.”
John Roberts, co-founder and CEO of Worker.ai
“Building Veeam showed me the opportunity to bring powerful technology to businesses of all sizes. AI can now give small businesses more capacity without asking already stretched owners to work longer days. Worker is my bet on that shift.”
Ratmir Timashev, founder of Veeam
Free core, paid AI workers later
The core operating system is free for a whole company, with no per-seat charge. Worker plans to charge later for optional AI workers that keep the system running, while the core stays free.
Access is rolling out in small groups because Worker sets up each company itself. Businesses request access with a work email and are emailed when it is their turn. Fewer than 100 businesses have used Worker so far, and the team has spent months refining the product with them.
DeltaGen’s team of around 10 people will stay in Prague, and Worker plans to grow its product and engineering team there. DeltaGen previously raised investment from Techstars and Forward Venture Capital, and launched Virtual SE, a tool that answers technical questions for sales reps during live calls, in November 2025.
