With more than 5,000 professionals and 150 businesses onboard, Januus is an alternative to platforms like LinkedIn and Upwork. The New York-based startup is expanding through partnerships with organizations like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.
Human-focused business
Christian Benavides, founder of Januus, believes it’s time to challenge LinkedIn’s dominance in professional networking.
“LinkedIn is just another social media platform where everyone is shouting, ‘Look at me!’” Benavides said. “Our approach is different. Professionals need tools to connect with clients, manage their schedules, and get paid for their skills.”
According to Benavides, one of Januus’ key differentiators is the freedom it offers. “If I don’t have a LinkedIn profile, I can’t access the information of the professional I want to view,” he said. “LinkedIn is forcing me to give away my data.”
In Januus, he emphasizes, professionals can focus on what matters most: real connections and a direct path to booking and selling services.
“LinkedIn doesn’t allow booking services directly,” Benavides said. “Fiverr takes 25% commission fees, which I find abusive. Craigslist offers no verification.”
Januus charges a commission fee of 7.9%. Benavides shared that he has turned down offers from investors who pushed for a higher fee. “We are a human-focused business,” he said. “Our mission doesn’t align with money-driven interests, which is why we rejected their offer.”
Januus also offers a smart business card that lets users share their professional profile using NFC technology or a QR code.
There’s no us without “u”
Januus was launched after Benavides pivoted following the failure of his previous company. His first venture, Contáctame, was a Spanish-language version of Blue Social, a mobile app that connects people nearby via Bluetooth Low Energy.
“We thought, let’s not reinvent the wheel — just copy this product for the Latin American market,” he said. But the startup failed because in countries like Colombia and Mexico, people didn’t have the phones needed for NFC technology.
“We didn’t research the market. I was younger and didn’t understand entrepreneurship,” Benavides admits. To learn more, he studied Entrepreneurship at Harvard online.
The name for his new venture was inspired by a conversation with his friend and mentor.
“We’ve been discussing Roman mythology,” Benavides said. “Janus came up, the god of gates, choices, and trading.”
The team slightly altered the name to make it more inclusive and because another company had already registered under the “Janus” brand.
“We decided that there’s no “us” without “u” and added an extra letter,” Benavides said. “In postmodern philosophy, there is no ‘I.’ Januus represents the idea that we recognize ourselves in others.”
From musician to tech entrepreneur
Benavides was born in Colombia in the 80s and grew up in times of violence, finding solace and an escape in science. He received a scholarship to study genetic engineering in Japan, but his family couldn’t afford food and housing abroad. So Benavides pursued the arts.
He studied classical music and later jazz and improvisation. “When I moved to the U.S., I realized music doesn’t pay the bills,” Benavides said. So he turned to audio engineering and IT, eventually becoming a cloud architect.
“I’ve worked with many startups, financial institutions, and even the Supreme Court system,” he says. “I built infrastructures, developed policies, and migrated systems.”
His diverse background in the arts and technology gave him a unique perspective on professional growth.
“I think that’s one of the things that makes Januus special. It’s not just about business,” said Benavides. “It’s about understanding the human side of work, connection, and creativity.”
