Worker.ai acquires DeltaGen, launches with backing from billionaire Veeam founder Ratmir Timashev

The acquisition brings DeltaGen's real-time AI technology to Worker's operating system for small businesses, as Timashev bets on AI to transform Main Street.

RALEIGH, N.C., Nov. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Worker.ai today announced the acquisition of Techstars-backed DeltaGen and launched its company operating system for small businesses, with backing from Veeam founder Ratmir Timashev. Founded by former private equity operator John Roberts and DeltaGen founder Rene Bystron, Worker is targeting a painful limit on small-business growth: the owner's capacity to keep everything moving.

"You shouldn't have to sell your company to get your life back," said Roberts, co-founder and CEO of Worker. "In private equity, I saw firsthand how a strong operating system helped companies grow faster. We're using AI to put those systems and that support within reach of small teams. Owners should be able to build a bigger business without sacrificing control of the company or having to sell to an external firm."

For too many owners, growth comes with a catch. Every new customer adds decisions, exceptions, and follow-ups that eventually land back on the owner's desk. The business gets bigger. Their life gets smaller.

Timashev is backing Worker to help small businesses, such as manufacturers, service companies, and family businesses, scale and succeed. SMBs drive 43.5% of U.S. GDP and employ almost 46% of private sector workers, so investing in their success drives broader economic growth.

"Building Veeam showed me the opportunity to bring powerful technology to businesses of all sizes," said Timashev. "AI can now give small businesses more capacity without asking already stretched owners to work longer days. Worker is my bet on that shift."

Worker brings a company's plan, responsibilities, key numbers, and processes into one operating system, where employees and AI workers keep work moving. Teams can delegate recurring work, including preparing updates and following up on commitments, while keeping business decisions in human hands.

The DeltaGen acquisition brings standardization and scalability to critical business decision-making. Its real-time voice technology captures decisions, commitments and next steps as people talk. Worker turns those commitments into assigned work. When a team agrees to send a proposal after pricing is approved, for example, an AI worker drafts it and requests approval. The responsible employee approves the pricing and sends the proposal.

For Worker user Nikita Zhitov, owner of CityPlat, the difference shows up outside the office.

"I used to hesitate before taking on another project because I knew it would mean sacrificing evenings and weekends with my family," said Zhitov. "With Worker, I don't have to be in the middle of every decision to know the work is moving. That makes me more confident saying yes. And when I'm with my kids, I'm actually with my kids."

Bystron, Worker's co-founder and COO, founded DeltaGen with Michal Studnicka and Matus Ondreicka. His interest in the problem began much earlier.

"My dad ran a small construction firm. He kept working harder, but the business wasn't always growing," said Bystron. "The internet was supposed to make running a business easier. For him, it added more demands to a day that was already full. AI will have failed people like my dad if all it does is give them more work to keep up with. We're building Worker so they can grow a business and still come home with time and energy for the people they love."

About Worker.ai

Worker is a company operating system that helps small businesses grow without taking over the owner's life. Plans, responsibilities, key numbers and processes live in one shared place, where employees and AI workers work together to keep the business running. Learn more at worker.ai.

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SOURCE Icos AI Inc.