One step at a time,
for a better Indonesia
Milestones
IDN Media and IDN Times - 8 June 2014
Winston Utomo and William Utomo launched IDN Times, the forerunner of IDN Media
IDN Media and IDN Times - 27 August 2014
IDN Media had its first office in Surabaya: IDN Media Surabaya Creative Lab
Founders' Story
Founded on 8 June 2014, IDN (formerly IDN Media) has grown to become the leading media platform company that positively impacts 70 million+ young generations in Indonesia.
It all began on a sunny afternoon. Winston Utomo, who was still working at Google Singapore, asked himself a question, “Millennial and Gen Z are the majority of the population in Indonesia, however, why is there no media targeting these two generations? How can Indonesia become a powerhouse in the global economy? Why is Indonesia very centralized in Jakarta? How do we resolve the information gap and provide equal access to information to everyone in Indonesia, from Aceh to Papua?”
Sparked by these questions, Winston quickly went home, took a piece of paper, enthusiastically wrote down the ideas he had, and started to develop the product he had written on a piece of paper. With just an overnight development in his apartment room, Winston launched the first version of IDN Times. On 8 June 2014 at 11 A.M. in the afternoon, IDN was born.
​Later that night, Winston called his brother William, who was still in Los Angeles. Just minutes after the conversation, William was convinced that IDN would disrupt and revolutionize the media industry. He believed that the time is now. He then put away his dream to become an investment banker, as he realized that the impact on the society that IDN could bring would be very massive and positive. William quickly flew home from Los Angeles and worked on the business plan for the early stage of IDN.
Fast forward to IDN’s 10th year, we recognized the immense potential of our established audience and content while observing the shifting information consumption habits of Indonesia's young generations. To deepen our impact and meet the evolving needs of the young generations in Indonesia, IDN embarked on a transformative journey. In 2024, IDN officially transformed into a consumer tech platform company that focuses on the young generations by bringing positive impacts to society. IDN now operates four business lines: livestreaming, creators economy, entertainment, and digital media.
As IDN continues to grow, our commitment to positively impacting society remains steadfast. Expanding our business in more impactful ways is one of the strategies we employ to achieve this goal. IDN believes this is just the beginning of our journey—we have only scratched the surface of our vision. One step at a time, for a better Indonesia.