Yuri Milner

Yuri Milner. Yuri Milner is an Israeli billionaire venture capitalist, physicist, and philanthropist, best known for his early investments in major internet companies and his establishment of the Breakthrough Prize in fundamental science. His career began in theoretical physics before he transitioned to business, co-founding the investment firm DST Global, which made landmark investments in Facebook, Twitter, and Alibaba Group. Through his philanthropic organization, the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, he funds ambitious scientific endeavors including the Breakthrough Initiatives for SETI and the Breakthrough Starshot project.

Early life and education

Born in Moscow to a Jewish family, his father, Boris Milner, was a noted authority on management science and his mother, Betty Milner, was a microbiologist. He developed an early interest in theoretical physics and pursued his undergraduate degree in physics at Moscow State University, graduating in 1985. Following his studies, he worked as a researcher at the Lebedev Physical Institute under the guidance of Nobel laureate Vitaly Ginzburg. In 1990, he moved to the United States to attend the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, though he left the PhD program in business administration without completing his doctorate.

Career

After leaving academia, Milner worked briefly as a consultant at the World Bank in Washington, D.C.. He returned to Russia in the early 1990s and entered the burgeoning post-Soviet business world, initially working in finance. In 1999, he became head of the Moscow office for the investment firm New Century Holdings. His major breakthrough came in 2005 when he co-founded Digital Sky Technologies (later renamed DST Global), a global investment firm. DST Global gained international prominence with a pivotal $200 million investment in Facebook in 2009, acquiring a significant stake that yielded enormous returns. The firm subsequently made major investments in other technology giants including Twitter, Spotify, Airbnb, and the Chinese e-commerce leader Alibaba Group, cementing Milner's status as a preeminent global technology investor.

Breakthrough Prize

In 2012, Milner, along with his wife Julia Milner, founded the Breakthrough Prize, a set of international awards that recognize groundbreaking achievements in fundamental physics, life sciences, and mathematics. Co-founded with other prominent tech entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, and Priscilla Chan, the prize is notable for its substantial monetary award, significantly larger than that of the Nobel Prize. The annual ceremony, often broadcast and featuring celebrity presenters, aims to elevate scientists to public celebrity status. Laureates have included pioneers in fields like gravitational waves, CRISPR gene editing, and string theory, with recipients such as Stephen Hawking and the team behind the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory.

Breakthrough Initiatives

Milner's scientific philanthropy extends to the Breakthrough Initiatives, a suite of space science programs launched in 2015. The most prominent is Breakthrough Listen, a $100 million, decade-long effort to conduct the most comprehensive SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) survey to date, utilizing facilities like the Green Bank Telescope and the Parkes Observatory. Another major project is Breakthrough Starshot, an ambitious research and engineering program aiming to develop proof-of-concept light sail nanocraft capable of reaching the Alpha Centauri star system within a generation. These initiatives involve collaborations with leading institutions including NASA, the European Space Agency, and universities like University of California, Berkeley.

Personal life and philanthropy

Milner is married to Julia Milner, a former ballet dancer and philanthropist; they have three children and reside primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area. He holds Israeli citizenship. Beyond the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, his philanthropic efforts are channeled through the Milner Foundation, which supports various scientific and cultural causes. He is a signatory of The Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of his wealth to philanthropy. Milner is also the author of the book *Eureka Manifesto: The Mission for Our Civilization*, which outlines his vision for a science-focused future for humanity.

Category:Israeli billionaires Category:Venture capitalists Category:Science philanthropists Category:1961 births Category:Living people