Help Build 51Eat: The Capital Region’s Food App
Donation protected
We’re not funded by Silicon Valley. We’re powered by Schenectady.
51Eat is a brand-new community-powered app built by and for the Capital Region. Connecting people with the real food businesses that make our community special.
Think:
Farmers & bakers
Pizza joints that remember your order
Cheesemongers & co-ops
Jam-makers & food trucks
…all just around the corner.
We’re here to make it simple and easy to discover, support, and shop local — no middlemen, no astronomical delivery app markups, and no big tech nonsense.
Why We Need Your Help
We launched 51Eat with zero outside investors — just passion, local pride, a lot of caffeine, and what little free time we have when we're not working our day jobs as well. But now, we need your help to keep growing.
Your donation helps us:
- Onboard and support more local businesses (my sister and I currently are doing this all ourselves)
- Build out key features like an affordable booking and reservation system, eCommerce tools, reviews, software for farms and CSAs, marketing tools, and so much more.
- Run community marketing campaigns to get the word out to businesses and hungry users across the 518.
- Keep our servers running and the lights on
51Eat isn’t about "scale at all costs." A mantra that is all too common in tech, and quite frankly anti-consumer, anti-business, and harmful. It’s about using technology to do something right for a change — and building the kind of platform we all wish existed already. We're small and local for a reason. We don't want investors, we want community.
What You Get
Besides warm fuzzies and good karma?
Every donor gets:
• A "Founding Foodie" badge on their 51Eat profile
• Their name listed on our Supporters Wall at 51eat.co forever
• Behind-the-scenes updates, sneak peeks, and early access.
And if you’re a local business who donates? Let’s talk — we’d love to feature you.
️ A Note From The Founder of 51Eat
“I grew up here. I eat here. And I got tired of watching all the Silicon Valley conglomerates and monopolies suck the money out of our local food economy, while local businesses simultaneously foot the bill and struggle to be found. 51Eat is my way of pushing back — with tools built for the 518, not venture capital."
— Luigi Battaglioli, founder of 51Eat
Help Us Reach Our Goal
Whether it’s $5 or $500, every bit helps us grow this movement.
Because food tastes better when you know who made it.
And community feels better when you build it together.
Organizer
Luigi Battaglioli
Organizer
Schenectady, NY