Soon to IPO with The Code MERI, This is The Journey of Merry Riana Education from a Garage to The Trading Floor

Every great journey never begins with luxury. Sometimes, it is born in the most unexpected places—like a small garage that was once nearly submerged by Jakarta’s floods. Yet, in that humble space, the seeds of a dream were planted.

In 2014, when Merry Riana decided to return to her homeland after 16 years successfully building her business in Singapore, Jakarta welcomed her not with a red carpet or a grand stage.Quite the opposite—Jakarta was paralyzed by floods. Streets were submerged, and many were forced to surrender to the circumstances.

But not for Merry Riana. The floodwaters hadn’t receded, yet her spirit continued to shine brightly. She knew that in the midst of limitations, hope could still grow. Together with her small team, Merry Riana set out to create change for kids and teenagers in Indonesia through education— A place where fading dreams could come alive again. "We don’t sell dreams. We bring them to life," said Merry Riana, Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Merry Riana Education. "We don’t just teach theory. We nurture courage, character, and leadership," she added.

From a single program called Life Camp, the foundation of Merry Riana Education was born. One by one, that dream grew into three pillars: Merry Riana Events, Merry Riana Learning Centre, and Merry Riana Digital Learning. From a single student in a classroom, it has now impacted hundreds of thousands of young people throughout Indonesia. This journey was not built overnight. There were no major investors at the beginning. No lavish facilities — only a strong belief that education is not merely about test scores, but about the values of life.

That belief eventually attracted the attention of others who also shared this grand vision.One of them was Hermanto Tanoko, a business tycoon from Surabaya, founder of TanCorp and owner of major companies like Avian and Cleo. He joined as a strategic investor—not just because of the business potential, but because he saw something more important: the mission to shape Indonesia’s next generation of leaders. "I believe character education is the foundation of a nation, and Merry Riana Education carries that torch," he stated.

Over the past year, Merry Riana Education has experienced rapid growth. From 21 locations, it has expanded to 34 Merry Riana Learning Centre branches across Indonesia—from Medan to Jayapura (as of December 2024). The highlight came at the end of 2024, when Merry Riana Education broke a MURI record as The Public Speaking Training Institution with the most participants and received an award from the Indonesian Professional Speaker Association (IPSA).

Today, Merry Riana Education is preparing to enter a new chapter by going public on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The company is ready with new innovations, broader expansion plans, and the same unwavering spirit it had from the beginning—when it faced floods, started from a garage, and had no investors.

"We didn’t wait to become big before going public. We’re going public so we can grow bigger and create even greater impact," Merry Riana concluded.

Watch the inspiring journey of Merry Riana Education on its road to the stock market in the following documentary: