Iman Usman: The Man Who Turned a Childhood Idea Into Ruangguru
From teaching neighbourhood children to building an education company, his story covers business, learning, leadership, and a surprising move into film production.
Last Updated on October 9, 2026 by Fame Katha Editorial Team
Introduction
Iman Usman is an Indonesian entrepreneur, author, and film producer. He is best known as the co-founder of Ruangguru, an education technology company that helps millions of students learn.
His story started much earlier.
As a child, he taught neighbourhood children for free. He also created a small library outside his home. Years later, that interest in education became a business.
But his career did not stop there.
He studied at Columbia and Harvard, worked with youth organisations, wrote a book, and entered the Indonesian film industry.
Today, his work stretches well beyond online education.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Muhamad Iman Usman |
| Known As | Iman Usman |
| Date of Birth | December 21, 1991 |
| Age | 34 years old (October 2026) |
| Birthplace | Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia |
| Nationality | Indonesian |
| Profession | Entrepreneur, author, and film producer |
| Famous For | Co-founding Ruangguru |
| Education | University of Indonesia, Columbia University, Harvard University |
| Father | Muhammad Hayan |
| Mother | Yanzimar |
| Siblings | Youngest of six children |
| Business Partner | Belva Devara |
| Notable Book | Masih Belajar |
| Company Founded | Ruangguru, 2014 |
| Publicly Listed Position | Co-founder and COO of Ruangguru |
| Net Worth | Not publicly verified |
Early Life and Family Background
He was born on December 21, 1991, in Padang, West Sumatra.
His parents were Muhammad Hayan and Yanzimar, according to Indonesian news reports. He grew up as the youngest of six children.
Education mattered in his home.
His family did not have unlimited resources. Still, his parents encouraged him to study and aim higher.
In a 2023 interview with Columbia University, he explained that he became the first person in his family to graduate from college.
That experience stayed with him.
He understood how educational opportunities could change someone’s future. He also saw how difficult those opportunities were for families with fewer resources.
Teaching Children at a Young Age
He started helping others early.
At around ten years old, he organised free lessons for neighbourhood children. A small library outside his house gave local children access to books.
There was no big organisation behind it.
Just a young student helping others learn.
At 14, he tried something different. He started an online shop selling Harry Potter merchandise.
That small business introduced him to selling products and running his own project.
Both experiences shaped his later work.
One involved helping students. The other taught him about business.
Education and University Life
His academic record includes three degrees.
He completed his bachelor’s education in Indonesia before earning postgraduate qualifications in the United States.
Studying International Relations
After finishing school in Padang, he attended the University of Indonesia.
He studied International Relations at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences.
He graduated in 2013 with cum laude honours.
His university years were busy. Alongside studying, he spent time building youth organisations and taking part in leadership programmes.
He also received national recognition for his academic achievements.
Moving to Columbia University
He continued his studies in New York.
At Teachers College, Columbia University, he completed a Master of Arts in International Educational Development in 2014.
His interests were quite specific.
Why do some students receive better education than others? How could schools reach children living far from major cities? Could technology make learning more affordable?
These questions influenced his research.
The university later published a detailed account of his academic journey and early business ideas.
According to Columbia University’s official interview, he had already developed a product ready for launch by the time he graduated.
That product was Ruangguru.
Earning a Degree From Harvard
Years after starting his company, he returned to university.
In 2022, he graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a Master of Education degree.
His studies focused on education leadership.
He also participated in Harvard’s Social Innovation + Change Initiative as a Cheng Fellow.
The Harvard University profile confirms his qualification and his work in education.
He took cross-registered courses at MIT Sloan, too. However, this should not be confused with earning an MIT degree.
His university degrees came from the University of Indonesia, Columbia, and Harvard.
Starting a Career in Youth Leadership
Before becoming a well-known entrepreneur, he worked with young people.
He joined children’s rights activities during his school years. Later, he helped build organisations where students could discuss problems affecting their communities.
In 2009, he co-founded Indonesian Future Leaders.
The organisation encouraged young Indonesians to take part in community projects and leadership activities.
He also founded the Indonesian Youth Parliament in 2010.
Its aim was to introduce young people to parliamentary discussions and public participation.
His professional background includes work with UNFPA Indonesia and service as an ASEAN–Indonesia Youth Ambassador.
These were meaningful early experiences.
He had to work with teams, organise activities, and explain ideas to different audiences.
Those skills would become useful when he started a company.
How Ruangguru Started
In 2014, he founded Ruangguru with Adamas Belva Syah Devara, better known as Belva Devara.
Both founders had experienced difficulties finding suitable tutors while preparing for further education.
They saw a problem.
Students needed good teachers. Yet finding the right tutor was not always easy, especially outside major cities.
So they built a service to connect students with educators.
The original idea was simple.
Find a teacher. Arrange lessons. Make the process easier.
Ruangguru first operated as a tutoring marketplace.
But the founders saw room to build something bigger.
Turning a Tutor Service Into a Learning Platform
The company expanded into digital lessons, practice questions, recorded videos, and other learning services.
A mobile version arrived in 2016.
Students could now access educational materials directly from their phones.
This mattered for families who could not easily attend private classes.
Ruangguru later expanded into more educational areas, including language learning and career-related training.
The company also entered Vietnam and Thailand.
In July 2023, Columbia University reported that its platform had served more than 40 million teachers and students. That figure describes the company’s reported reach at the time, rather than a verified current count.
His Leadership Responsibilities
He held different positions while the company grew.
During its earlier years, he served as co-founder and CEO.
From July 2016 until August 2021, he worked as Chief of Product and Partnership.
In August 2021, he became Chief Operating Officer.
His publicly available professional profile continues to list him as co-founder and COO.
His responsibilities have involved business operations and the development of educational services.
Supporting Students Who Need Extra Help
Business was only part of the plan.
He also worked on programmes for students who had fewer educational opportunities.
One example was Ruangguru Digital Bootcamp.
The initiative supported young Indonesians who had left school and needed help preparing for qualifications or employment.
It offered learning materials, tutoring, and mentoring.
Some students faced limited internet access. The programme addressed this problem by making certain study materials available offline.
In 2017, the project was selected through MIT Solve.
It received support connected to the Atlassian Foundation and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The project showed how Ruangguru’s technology could support students who might otherwise struggle to complete their education.
Scholarships and Mentoring
His personal activities have included a scholarship and mentoring programme for Indonesian college students.
The programme was mentioned in Columbia University’s 2023 profile.
He has also worked on education-related charitable activities through Ruangguru.
These programmes reflect an interest that began in his childhood: helping more people receive an education.
Moving Into Entertainment
His career took another turn.
He began working in film and television production while continuing his association with Ruangguru.
This part of his career is sometimes missing from older biographies.
He became involved with Rekata Studio and received production credits on Indonesian films.
His first listed feature-film credit was Budi Pekerti in 2023, internationally known as Andragogy.
The film was directed by Wregas Bhanuteja.
It marked the start of a growing list of screen-production projects.
Films and Production Credits
FilmIndonesia records the following work:
| Year | Film | Production Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Budi Pekerti | Executive Producer |
| 2024 | Temurun | Executive Producer |
| 2024 | Sumala | Executive Producer |
| 2024 | Bolehkah Sekali Saja Kumenangis | Executive Producer |
| 2024 | Santet Segoro Pitu | Executive Producer |
| 2024 | Panggonan Wingit 2: Miss K | Executive Producer |
| 2025 | 1 Kakak 7 Ponakan | Executive Producer |
| 2025 | Perayaan Mati Rasa | Executive Producer |
| 2025 | Rego Nyowo | Executive Producer |
| 2025 | Hanya Namamu Dalam Doaku | Co-Executive Producer |
| 2025 | Getih Ireng | Executive Producer |
| 2025 | Patah Hati Yang Kupilih | Co-Executive Producer |
| 2025 | Dusun Mayit | Executive Producer |
| 2026 | Semua Akan Baik-Baik Saja | Executive Producer |
| 2026 | Para Perasuk | Producer |
| 2026 | Memburu Pemangsa | Co-Executive Producer |
His work on Para Perasuk, internationally titled Levitating, brought another international film connection.
The film was selected for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and screened at other international festivals.
He received a producer credit alongside Amalia Rusdi and Siera Tamihardja.
His film career has continued alongside his education and business interests.
The Success of Clash of Champions
He also helped create Clash of Champions, an Indonesian academic competition show produced through Ruangguru.
The programme premiered in June 2024.
Instead of relying on familiar television competition formats, the show brought university students together to solve demanding academic challenges.
Contestants faced mathematics questions, memory tasks, and other tests of reasoning.
The format attracted considerable attention.
A second season followed in 2025.
He has been credited as a director, writer, and producer of the programme.
In a public reflection, he explained that creating the show involved uncertainty and tight production deadlines.
Still, he chose to try the idea.
For a businessman whose career began with tutoring, producing an academic competition programme was a natural connection between his education work and his growing interest in entertainment.
Writing His Book
In May 2019, he released Masih Belajar through Gramedia Pustaka Utama.
The title translates to Still Learning.
The book tells readers about his experiences with education, work, personal setbacks, and building a career.
It does not present his journey as effortless.
He discusses obstacles and rejection, alongside the lessons learned from working on different projects.
Gramedia released a new cover edition in January 2025.
The original book appeared in the self-improvement category and became a bestseller according to the publisher.
Writing gave him another way to share his experiences beyond talks and public appearances.
Major Awards and Recognition
His work has received attention from organisations in Indonesia and abroad.
Several awards came before Ruangguru existed.
Others followed his move into business.
Among the documented recognitions are:
- 2008: Indonesian Young Leader Award.
- 2010: British Council Global Changemaker recognition.
- 2011: UN Youth Assembly Recognition on Humanitarian Development.
- 2015: UNICEF Young Innovator to Watch.
- 2017: Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Consumer Technology.
- 2017: MIT Solve recognition for Ruangguru Digital Bootcamp.
- 2019: Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneur Award.
- 2020: One Young World Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
- 2020: Social Impact Award associated with Credit Suisse and Tatler.
One important detail concerns the Forbes award.
Some online profiles give 2016 as the year. Forbes’ published record, however, places him and Belva Devara on its 2017 Asia list.
The MIT Solve recognition was also connected to a team project, rather than being an individual academic qualification.
Business Interests Beyond Education
His professional record includes work with organisations outside Ruangguru.
He served as an independent commissioner at Bali United Football Club from 2019 to 2020.
He was also an advisory board member at YCAB Foundation, an Indonesian organisation involved in youth development and community programmes.
His later film work added another business field.
Still, education remains the best-documented part of his entrepreneurial career.
Personal Life and Relationships
He has shared parts of his family and academic life in public interviews.
His relationship status is less clear.
There is no sufficiently reliable public confirmation of a current spouse or partner in the sources reviewed for this article.
Reports about possible celebrity relationships should not be treated as proof of a romantic connection.
Likewise, there is no reliable public information confirming that he has children.
His family history, academic background, and professional achievements are much better documented than his private relationships.
How Much Is His Net Worth?
His exact net worth has not been publicly verified.
Ruangguru has received substantial investment and grown into a major education company.
But a company’s valuation cannot be treated as its founder’s personal fortune.
The amount he personally owns, his current salary, and his full financial holdings have not been established through reliable public disclosures.
For that reason, a specific net-worth figure would be speculation.
Current Work and Public Career
As of October 2026, his public professional profile identifies him as co-founder and COO of Ruangguru.
He is also active in screen production, with film credits extending into 2026.
His career has changed considerably since his childhood teaching activities.
What started with a small neighbourhood library eventually led to educational businesses, international study, and entertainment production.
Each stage brought different work.
He has spoken publicly about learning from setbacks and testing unfamiliar ideas.
That willingness to keep studying, even after building a successful business, is a recurring theme in his interviews and writing.
Final Thought
Iman Usman’s career began with a simple interest in teaching.
He helped children near his home. He studied abroad. He then worked with Belva Devara to build Ruangguru.
Years later, his work reached television and film production.
The interesting part is the continuity.
Education remained important, even as his career changed.
His story shows how an early interest can develop into different types of work over time.
And learning did not stop after graduation.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is Iman Usman?
He is an Indonesian entrepreneur, author, and film producer. He co-founded Ruangguru with Belva Devara in 2014.
2. How old is he?
He was born on December 21, 1991. He is 34 years old as of October 2026.
3. Where was he born?
He was born in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia.
4. What universities did he attend?
He earned degrees from the University of Indonesia, Columbia University, and Harvard University.
5. Who are his parents?
Indonesian news reports identify his parents as Muhammad Hayan and Yanzimar.
6. Is he married?
His current marital status is not confirmed by reliable public information reviewed for this article.
7. What is his net worth?
His personal net worth is not publicly verified. There is no reliable financial disclosure supporting a precise figure.
8. What book did he write?
He wrote Masih Belajar, published by Gramedia Pustaka Utama in May 2019. A new cover edition appeared in 2025.
9. What is his role at Ruangguru?
His publicly listed role is co-founder and Chief Operating Officer.
10. Has he worked in films?
Yes. His production credits include Budi Pekerti, Sumala, 1 Kakak 7 Ponakan, and Para Perasuk.
