Yuri Milner
- Birth: 11 Nov 1961
- Death: —
- Age: 64 years
- Net Worth: $6.9B USD
- Income Source: Venture Capital, Technology Investments
Biography
The Cosmic Investor – Yuri Milner's Quest from Moscow to the Stars
Born November 11, 1961, in Moscow—mere months after Yuri Gagarin's historic orbit—Yuri Milner was destined for bold frontiers. Raised by a Ukrainian-Jewish father (a theater critic) and Russian-Jewish mother amid Soviet constraints, young Yuri devoured physics texts, graduating from Moscow State University in 1985 with a theoretical physics degree. But the USSR's iron curtain stifled dreams; he pivoted to finance, earning an MBA from Wharton in 1993 before launching a career that would redefine Silicon Valley from afar.
Milner's alchemy turned scarcity into surplus. In 1999, he founded Mail.ru Group, Russia's answer to Yahoo, blending email, social networks, and games into Europe's largest internet firm by users. Taking it public in 2010 valued his stake at billions. But DST Global (2009) was his masterstroke: a $200 million bet on Facebook snagged 10% equity, catapulting returns as Mark Zuckerberg's empire soared. Milner doubled down on Twitter (now X), Zynga, and Spotify, then pivoted to Airbnb and Chinese titans Alibaba and JD.com—exits netting tens of billions. By 2025, his $6.9 billion fortune underscores prescient bets on connectivity's conquerors.
Yet Milner's gaze extends beyond balance sheets. Renouncing Russian citizenship in 2022 amid geopolitical storms, the Israeli citizen and Bay Area resident channels wealth into cosmic curiosity. With wife Julia, he launched the $3 million Breakthrough Prizes (2012), crowning physics, life sciences, and math luminaries like Roger Penrose and Jennifer Doudna. His 2021 Eureka Manifesto and 2025 initiatives scale scientific impact via AI and tech, funding SETI's alien hunts and exoplanet probes. Father to two, Milner blends physicist's rigor with philanthropist's vision: "Science is humanity's greatest adventure."
In an era of fleeting unicorns, Yuri Milner endures as the quiet architect of digital destinies—and stellar aspirations. From Gagarin's shadow to galactic grants, he proves: True pioneers invest in the infinite.
Born November 11, 1961, in Moscow—mere months after Yuri Gagarin's historic orbit—Yuri Milner was destined for bold frontiers. Raised by a Ukrainian-Jewish father (a theater critic) and Russian-Jewish mother amid Soviet constraints, young Yuri devoured physics texts, graduating from Moscow State University in 1985 with a theoretical physics degree. But the USSR's iron curtain stifled dreams; he pivoted to finance, earning an MBA from Wharton in 1993 before launching a career that would redefine Silicon Valley from afar.
Milner's alchemy turned scarcity into surplus. In 1999, he founded Mail.ru Group, Russia's answer to Yahoo, blending email, social networks, and games into Europe's largest internet firm by users. Taking it public in 2010 valued his stake at billions. But DST Global (2009) was his masterstroke: a $200 million bet on Facebook snagged 10% equity, catapulting returns as Mark Zuckerberg's empire soared. Milner doubled down on Twitter (now X), Zynga, and Spotify, then pivoted to Airbnb and Chinese titans Alibaba and JD.com—exits netting tens of billions. By 2025, his $6.9 billion fortune underscores prescient bets on connectivity's conquerors.
Yet Milner's gaze extends beyond balance sheets. Renouncing Russian citizenship in 2022 amid geopolitical storms, the Israeli citizen and Bay Area resident channels wealth into cosmic curiosity. With wife Julia, he launched the $3 million Breakthrough Prizes (2012), crowning physics, life sciences, and math luminaries like Roger Penrose and Jennifer Doudna. His 2021 Eureka Manifesto and 2025 initiatives scale scientific impact via AI and tech, funding SETI's alien hunts and exoplanet probes. Father to two, Milner blends physicist's rigor with philanthropist's vision: "Science is humanity's greatest adventure."
In an era of fleeting unicorns, Yuri Milner endures as the quiet architect of digital destinies—and stellar aspirations. From Gagarin's shadow to galactic grants, he proves: True pioneers invest in the infinite.