In 2009, Yuri Milner founded DST Global, which became one of the world’s leading technology investors. Milner believed that scientific brilliance was undercapitalized, in relation to its impact on society—and he aimed to fill that funding gap with his philanthropy. In July 2012, Yuri and his wife, Julia Milner, established the Breakthrough Prize to honor significant achievements in the fundamental sciences, along with a group of technology entrepreneurs. In July 2015, Yuri and Julia Milner launched the Breakthrough Initiatives, a long-term, multidisciplinary program of scientific research to explore the Universe, seek scientific evidence of life beyond Earth, and encourage public debate from a planetary perspective.