Afloat, a gift delivery app that allows you to shop from local stores and have gifts delivered to loved ones on the same day, is now available throughout the U.S. The startup announced its nationwide rollout on Monday after previously being limited to select cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, Charleston, Fort Worth, Kansas City, Nashville, and Wichita.

The app was founded by Sarah-Allen Preston following the stress of her newborn's open heart surgery. Inspired by the thoughtful gifts she received from loved ones during that time, Preston wanted to make instant gift-giving accessible to everyone, even those living in different states, to offer support in times of need.

Afloat aims to combine the ease of online shopping and immediate delivery while also supporting local businesses. The app manages the entire gift-giving process, including gift wrapping and personalized notes. DoorDash drivers handle the delivery. The company has also transitioned to a SaaS model to allow more businesses to join the platform, with subscription plans offering marketing and merchandising support.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, many customers have shown increased appreciation for local shops, with a strong desire to support small businesses. Afloat currently works with 100 store partners, ranging from bakeries and baby stores to bookstores and jewelry stores, helping them expand their gifting revenue. The company is also developing a consumer subscription tier for premium features like scheduled deliveries and early access to new offerings.

Afloat, backed by Goodwater Capital and Techstars with $5M in funding, currently boasts over 30,000 users.