Yuri Milner

$8.69 B

Ranked #386 in World

About Yuri Milner

Yuri Milner, a Russian entrepreneur and venture capitalist, has made significant contributions to the world of finance and technology. Born in Moscow in 1961, Milner studied theoretical physics at Moscow State University before pursuing an MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is the co-founder of DST Global, an investment firm that has backed companies like Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, and Airbnb. Milner's innovative thinking and strategic investments have earned him recognition as one of the smartest people in tech and have solidified his position as a prominent businessman in the global marketplace. In addition to his business ventures, Milner is known for his philanthropy, having established the Breakthrough Prize and supporting various charitable initiatives. His contributions have made him a respected figure in the finance and technology sectors.

Born

November 11, 1961

Age

64 years

Source Of Wealth

Tech Investments

Industries

Finance & Investments

Citizenship

Israel

Residence

Los Altos, California

Education

Master of Science, Moscow State University; Drop Out, University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School

Yuri Milner was born on 11 November 1961 in Moscow, Soviet Union, to Jewish intellectuals. His father, Bentsion Zakharovitch Milner, was Chief Deputy Director at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. His mother, Betty Iosifovna Milner, worked at Moscow's state-run virological laboratory for disease control. He has an older sister who is an architect.

Milner became an Israeli citizen in 1999 and moved to Israel with his family in 2005. He relocated to California in 2014 and has not visited Russia since the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea. In August 2022, he renounced his Russian citizenship in response to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.

Yuri Milner: Family

Yuri Milner is married to former high fashion model and contemporary artist Julia Milner (née Bochkova). They have two children.

Yuri Milner: Career Highlights

Yuri Milner started his business career selling gray market DOS computers in the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the USSR, he enrolled at the Wharton School to earn an MBA. He spent the first half of the 1990s at the World Bank in Washington, D.C as a Russian banking specialist focused on the development of private sector banking.

In the spring of 1995, Milner was appointed CEO of Alliance-Menatep, a stock brokerage company belonging to oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky. He later worked as vice president and Head of Investment Management of Menatep Bank in December 1996 and was appointed deputy chairperson and head of the investment division of Menatep Bank in February 1997, but left this position in early 1998.

In 1999, Milner founded NetBridge with funding from Gregory Finger and New Century Holding. NetBridge created various U.S.-pioneered Internet business models in Russia, including List.ru, Molotok.ru, Boom.ru, and 24×7. NetBridge and Port.ru (which owned Mail.ru) merged in February 2001, with Milner becoming CEO of the new company named Mail.Ru.

In 2005, Milner founded the investment fund Digital Sky Technologies (DST) and became its chairperson in 2006.

Alisher Usmanov became a shareholder of DST in 2008. Digital Sky Technologies (DST) changed its name to "Mail.ru Group" on 16 September 2010. Mail.ru Group completed a successful initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange in 2010 with a market valuation of $5.6 billion. Milner stepped down from the role of chairperson of Mail.ru and from the board of directors in March 2012.

In January 2009, Milner met Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in Palo Alto. DST bought a 1.96% stake in Facebook for $200 million on 26 May 2009. DST Global became one of the world's leading technology investors, with a portfolio including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Airbnb, Spotify, Alibaba, and others. Between 2009 and 2021, Milner invested over $12.5 bn in over 80 companies.

Yuri Milner: Companies

Yuri Milner has been involved with the following companies:

NetBridge
Mail.Ru
Digital Sky Technologies (DST)
Mail.ru Group
Facebook
DST Global
Altos Labs
Otoy
Habito
Airbnb.org
Flexport.org
Spotify

Yuri Milner: Major Achievements

Yuri Milner's major achievements include:

Co-founding DST Global, one of the world's leading technology investment firms.
Investing in companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, and Airbnb.
Establishing the Breakthrough Prize, the largest scientific award in the world.
Launching Breakthrough Initiatives, a scientific program to investigate the question of life in the Universe.
Donating tens of millions of dollars in support of Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

Yuri Milner: Awards & Achievements

Yuri Milner has received numerous awards and recognitions, including:

Included in Forbes' list of 100 greatest living business minds (2017).
Named one of the World's Greatest Leaders by Fortune magazine (2017).
Listed in the "Titans" category of Time magazine's 2016 Time 100.
Included in Foreign Policy magazine's "Power List" (2013).
Included in Bloomberg Markets' 2012 50 Most Influential list.
Ranked 46th in Fortune's 2010 list of the world's fifty most prominent businessmen.
Recognized as "Businessman of the Year" by Russian business magazine Vedomosti (2010).

Awarded the "Domosti" award (2010).

Yuri Milner: Personal Life & Legacy

Yuri Milner is married to former high fashion model and contemporary artist Julia Milner (née Bochkova). They have two children. Milner bought a $100 million home in Los Altos Hills, California, in 2011.

Milner believes that the Internet will eventually develop into a "global brain" and envisages that the advent of the Internet of things and ever increasing use of social media will increase humans' collective intelligence. He has published some of his ideas on humanity's place in the Universe in a book, Eureka Manifesto: the Mission for Our Civilization.

Yuri Milner: Trivia

Yuri Milner was named in the Paradise Papers, a leak of offshore financial documents that revealed the offshore assets of wealthy individuals and companies.

In March 2020, Milner published a fact sheet setting out his and DST Global's relations with Russia.

Wealth History

Timeline

11 November 1961

Yuri Milner is born in Moscow, Soviet Union.

1985

Milner graduates from Moscow State University with a degree in theoretical physics.

1990

Milner becomes the first non-émigré from the Soviet Union to travel to the United States to receive an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

1995

Milner is appointed CEO of Alliance-Menatep, a stock brokerage company belonging to oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

1999

Milner founds NetBridge, an investment firm focused on Russian internet companies.

2001

NetBridge and Port.ru (which owned Mail.ru) merge, with Milner becoming CEO of the new company named Mail.Ru.

2005

Milner founds the investment fund Digital Sky Technologies (DST).

2009

DST buys a 1.96% stake in Facebook for $200 million.

2010

Mail.ru Group completes a successful initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange with a market valuation of $5.6 billion.

2011

Milner participates in the G8 Summit in Deauville, France, discussing the internet and the world economy with technology entrepreneurs and CEOs.

2012

Milner establishes the Breakthrough Prize, a set of international awards recognizing three fields of endeavor: Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, and Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics.

2013

Milner joins the Giving Pledge, an initiative created by Warren Buffett, Melinda French Gates, and Bill Gates, in which signatories pledge to donate the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes.

2015

Milner launches Breakthrough Initiatives, a scientific program to investigate the question of life in the Universe.

2016

Milner is listed in the "Titans" category of Time magazine's 2016 Time 100.

2017

Milner is included in Forbes' list of 100 greatest living business minds.

2018

Milner is included in the United States Treasury Department's "Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 241 of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 Regarding Senior Foreign Political Figures and Oligarchs in the Russian Federation and Russian Parastatal Entities" (CAATSA).

2020

Forbes magazine re-classifies Milner from the Russian list to the Israeli list of billionaires, confirming his Israeli citizenship and close ties to the country.

2022

Milner denounces Russia's invasion of Ukraine and donates tens of millions of dollars in support of Ukraine.

Yuri Milner : FAQs

What is Yuri Milner's current net worth?

Yuri Milner's current net worth is $8.69 billion.

What is Yuri Milner's current global rank among billionaires?

Yuri Milner holds the 386th position globally among billionaires.

What is Yuri Milner's current ranking within the Israel?

Yuri Milner holds the 6th position in Israel.

What was the change in Yuri Milner's net worth compared to the previous year?

Yuri Milner's net worth increased by 1.79 billion dollars compared to the previous year 2025, when his net worth was 6.90 billion dollars.

What are Yuri Milner's main sources of wealth?

Yuri Milner's main source of income comes from Tech Investments.

In which industry does Yuri Milner primarily operate?

Yuri Milner is primarily involved in the Finance & Investments industry.

What is Yuri Milner educational background?

Yuri Milner holds a Master of Science from Moscow State University and a is a dropout from the University of Pennsylvania from The Wharton School.

How old is Yuri Milner?

Yuri Milner is 64 years old.

How many children does Yuri Milner have?

Yuri Milner has 3 children.

When and where was Yuri Milner born?

Yuri Milner was born on 11 November 1961 in Moscow, Soviet Union.

What was Yuri Milner's occupation in the Russian Academy of Sciences?

Yuri Milner's father, Bentsion Zakharovitch Milner, was the Chief Deputy Director at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

When did Yuri Milner become an Israeli citizen?

Yuri Milner became an Israeli citizen in 1999.

What is the Breakthrough Prize?

The Breakthrough Prize is a set of international awards recognizing achievements in the fields of Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences, and Mathematics. Laureates receive $3 million each in prize money.

When did Yuri Milner establish the Breakthrough Prize?

Yuri Milner established the Breakthrough Prize in July 2012.