Our previous coverage of JoyRun detailed its $10 million funding round. Today, the Bay Area-based company is announcing a significant change: it has been acquired by Walmart, with Walmart purchasing specific assets to strengthen its supply chain capabilities. The major retailer revealed today that it has obtained “select assets – encompassing the team, technology platform, and intellectual property” from JoyRun, aiming to integrate its unique peer-to-peer food and beverage delivery system into its own final-stage delivery network.

Walmart Executive Vice President Srini Venkatesan highlighted that the application has built a network of 540 independent merchant partners and has been utilized by over 30,000 individuals for deliveries since its introduction five years ago. JoyRun’s delivery model presents a distinct approach compared to typical delivery applications such as Seamless and Uber Eats.

As we previously explained in 2017, “The company’s application enables users to identify individuals nearby who are already traveling to a preferred restaurant, and then add their own order to the existing trip.” It remains to be seen how Walmart will incorporate this technology into its current operations, but it appears Walmart intends to utilize everyday individuals for delivering items, including groceries.

The anticipated operation would likely resemble Amazon Flex — a delivery system utilizing a gig economy model similar to Uber and Lyft.

“This acquisition will enable us to expand our team and continue developing innovative methods to serve our customers more effectively,” Venkatesan stated. “For example, these delivery personnel could work alongside our SPARK program and existing third-party delivery services. Our primary objective is to provide deliveries as rapidly and efficiently as possible.”

Walmart anticipates the transaction will be completed “within the next few weeks,” at which point JoyRun will be integrated into its Supply Chain Technology division. The financial details of the agreement have not been made public.