By Segun Adeyanju
At 27, Miles Mufuka Martin is proving that a humanities degree is no barrier to building a technology startup.
The Pittsburgh-based entrepreneur is the cofounder of Relai, a company that designs secure lockers where communities can safely exchange items.
Today, Relai operates 30 exchange zones across seven U.S. cities, but the road there required Martin to take on challenges many founders would outsource.
After early struggles with unreliable development firms, Martin decided to teach himself how to code. That decision not only kept Relai afloat but also led him to establish his own backend development company, 35th Street Builders.
“Non-technical is not a permanent status,” Martin told Technical.ly. “It’s not inherent to anybody. You can learn. You just need to know where to start.”
Martin’s entrepreneurial instinct traces back to high school, when he launched a snack resale business for classmates unwilling to trek into town.
Today, his focus is on expanding opportunities for others in Pittsburgh’s growing tech scene.
He recently began a fellowship program in mechatronics, robotics, and automation engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and co-hosted the Cursor Pittsburgh Meetup, aimed at helping beginners explore coding in a low-pressure environment.
Like many self-taught technologists, Martin faced imposter syndrome. With a humanities background, he often questioned whether he belonged in the startup world.
“Overcoming that was tough,” he said, recalling the doubts that followed him in the early days.
His advice to others: build confidence by setting achievable milestones.
“In America, culturally, building businesses is not celebrated. Having built a business is celebrated,” he said. “So you have to validate yourself. Build in your own wins.”
Despite his successes, Martin insists he doesn’t see himself as a “serial entrepreneur.” Instead, he feels fortunate for the chance to try.
“Lots of folks don’t have a shot,” he said. “I really value being able to pursue this idea at the scale that I have.”
Relai’s growth, coupled with Martin’s commitment to mentorship, reflects a larger trend in Pittsburgh’s startup ecosystem: founders reshaping their paths by combining creativity, resilience, and self-taught skills.
